


We Left Our Hearts In Shopping Carts

by vernonsgf



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Hybrids, M/M, Multi, Past Abuse, Slow Burn, these tags will change as the story progresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-25
Updated: 2018-02-21
Packaged: 2018-08-24 14:25:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 32,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8375602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vernonsgf/pseuds/vernonsgf
Summary: "He freezes, his hand finding the alarm button on his keys. He hears another whimper, this time it sounds like it came from someone else. They’re coming from the back of the shopping cart hub that he’s parked beside. He locks his car and follows the sound.He’s met by the view of two hybrids curled around each other. Their clothes are tattered and from what Joshua can see of their skin, he sees barely any fat and a whole lot of bone."Joshua has never considered owning hybrids until he meets two.





	1. Chapter 1

“What the fuck, Joshua.” Soonyoung says, staring at the two figures that are cowering behind his roommate.

“I,” Joshua stutters. “They were hurt and homeless. I couldn’t just leave them.”

“The majority of hybrids that exist in this world are hurt and homeless, Joshua. We don’t have the resources to take care of them.” Soonyoung says.

Joshua’s eyebrows furrow together in frustration. “I’ll take care of them by myself, Soonyoung. It’s not your place to worry.” Joshua argues.

_He’s on his way to his car, a plastic bag full of groceries in each hand. He struggles a little bit with fishing his key from his pocket and unlocking the car, but once his fingers have slipped into his pocket he sighs in relief. He throws the bags into the trunk with little care, throwing the door down as soon as he’s made sure that everything is as far in as it can go. He walks around to the front of his car, placing his hand on the handle before he hears a whimper._

_He freezes, his hand finding the alarm button on his keys. He hears another whimper, this time it sounds like it came from someone else. They’re coming from the back of the shopping cart hub that he’s parked beside. He locks his car and follows the sound._

_He’s met by the view of two hybrids curled around each other. Their clothes are tattered and from what Joshua can see of their skin, he sees barely any fat and a whole lot of bone._

_“Hey,” He calls out, crouching down and sticking out a hand._

_One lets out a breathy, scared whimper and burrows further into the other._

_“It’s okay. I won’t hurt you. I just want to help.” Joshua says._

_He sees one hybrid, the one that appears less scared, nudge the other before they’re both crawling towards him. He gets a better look at them in this lighting. They both look underfed, skin pulled taught over bone. One has longer hair, matted down and covered by a toque, making it hard for Joshua to make out what kind of hybrid he is since his ears are covered. The other is slightly brawnier, but still weak-looking, short ears poking out the top of his head. The brawny one makes a circle around Joshua, sniffing at him, before returning to his place beside the other._

_“I have food in my car.” Joshua says. They both seem to perk up at that._

_He leads them back to his car. He riffles through the bags of groceries in the trunk before deciding that a couple of granola bars will be enough to sustain them for the time being._

_“I’m Joshua.” He says as he watches them scarf down the bars that he’s given them, two each._

_“Joshua,” One tests out on his tongue, the wrapper of his bar long forgotten. “I’m Seungcheol. This is Jeonghan, he doesn’t talk too much.”_

_Joshua nods. “Well, Seungcheol and Jeonghan, if you’re willing, I’d love to help you get your feet back on the ground.” Joshua says._

_“Our feet are already on the ground,” Jeonghan says, a little more clueless than Seungcheol as he points down to their tattered shoes. Seungcheol nudges him again._

_“He didn’t mean it like that.” Seungcheol says. Jeonghan cringes._

_Joshua smiles a little bit at that. “It’s okay. I just want to help you. Give you a stable place to sleep with a roof over your head and no worry about your next meal.” Joshua says._

_Seungcheol narrows his eyes in Joshua’s direction. “You just met us. How can you be sure that we won’t tear your house apart or try to escape? Hybrids aren’t always the most trustworthy beings.” Seungcheol says._

_It should confuse Joshua that Seungcheol would be so willing to refuse his offer, but Joshua is well versed in dealing with stubborn personalities._

_“I’m known to be a little to trusting.” Joshua says. He catches Jeonghan’s eyes, begging him to let them stay with him. “And from what I can tell, you wouldn’t leave Jeonghan behind.”_

_Seungcheol’s face softens at the name before it turns hard again. “I only want what’s best for him, and you might not be that.”_

_“I may not have the best thing, but it’s definitely better than what you’ve got right now, right?” Joshua offers. Seungcheol nods without much hesitation._

Joshua sets up the extra room for Seungcheol and Joshua, suddenly glad that he and Soonyoung leased a three-person apartment when they moved to the main city. When he returns, Jeonghan and Seungcheol are still standing by the front door.

“Come on,” He says, reaching a hand towards them. “I’ll run a bath.”

Jeonghan takes Joshua’s hand, leaving Seungcheol to follow them both through the house. They follow Joshua as he pulls fluffy towels from the linen closet and places them on the counter of his bathroom. They stand in the doorway as he fills the tub, making sure that the water isn’t too hot or too cold and that the tub is filled with just the right amount of bubbles. He stands up to leave, but as he’s brushing past the two Jeonghan grabs his arm.

“Stay.” He mutters. Questions burn on Joshua’s tongue but he ignores them and just turns back into the bathroom.

It’s when he sees Seungcheol’s struggle to take off his own clothes that he understands. They’ve gone too long without proper nutrition and they’re weak. He helps them both out of their clothes and into the bathtub.

He starts on Seungcheol, seeing how happy Jeonghan is to just sit in the water and play with the bubbles. Seungcheol sits patiently as Joshua runs a damp, soapy cloth over his skin, watching in awe as the layers of dirt are wiped away. It’s been too long since either of them have had a proper washing.

“It’s it okay if I get in?” Joshua asks upon realizing that kneeling outside of the tub is too hard on his knees.

Seungcheol nods his head, and Joshua looks over at Jeonghan but he looks like he hasn’t even heard the question. He strips his clothes and grabs a cup from under the sink before he slips into the tub, the water warming his limbs as he sits down in between the two of them.

He uses the cup to wet Seungcheol’s hair. Seungcheol’s nose crinkles up in disgust when he feels the water touch his skin, to which Jeonghan giggles.

“He doesn’t really like water. Silly puppy.” Jeonghan giggles. Seungcheol leans around Joshua to snarl playfully at Jeonghan, and Joshua feels like he’s intruding on something intimate.

Joshua stays quiet, pouring shampoo onto his palms before working it into a lather in Seungcheol’s hair, avoiding his ears. It takes a few rounds of shampooing to actually get Seungcheol’s hair completely clean. He washes the fur on Seungcheol’s ears and tail separately, taking more time to be careful.

“Are you two registered?” Joshua asks, attempting to make small talk as he continues to scrub Seungcheol clean. Seungcheol nods.

“My old owner,” Seungcheol starts before pausing. “They put me out on the streets when she died. They said I hadn’t been left to anyone in the will so there was no where for me to go because the shelters in my area were full.”

“Where are you from?” Joshua asks. He holds the shower head over Seungcheol’s head to wash away the suds once he’s sure that the water is running at the right temperature.

“Daegu.” He says. He closes his eyes as Joshua wipes the dirt from his face. He seems so much more comfortable, and almost vulnerable, in this position, with Joshua taking care of him and Jeonghan playing happily off to the side.

“Daegu? That’s far, isn’t it?” Joshua says. He watches the water run down Seungcheol’s face, only now realizing how pretty Seungcheol is. How pretty they both are.

Seungcheol doesn’t say anything else, just nods.

Joshua works on Jeonghan next, needing far more shampoo this time. Cleaning Jeonghan is harder than cleaning Seungcheol is. Jeonghan is infatuated by the bubbles that cover the surface of the water in the tub, and he squirms around when Joshua runs water over his skin.

“Jeonghan, please.” Joshua says. Jeonghan giggles, but sits still for the next few minutes while Joshua works the shampoo into his hair.

“I’ll have to take you both to get your hair cut tomorrow.” Joshua says. Jeonghan panics, and he slaps Joshua’s hands away from his hair, tears welling in his eyes. “What? What did I do wrong?”

“It’s okay,” Seungcheol tells him. “He likes keeping it long, that’s all.”

Joshua can tell that that’s not the reason, but he doesn’t want to push it. They already trust him more than he was expecting them to.

“Just a trim. The ends are breaking, and your hair will look even better and healthier if you get it cut.” Joshua says, but Jeonghan shakes his head.

“Can I wash myself?” He asks, and Joshua’s heart squeezes in his chest. Joshua nods anyway.

“I’ll just be outside when you’re ready. Don’t lock the door, okay?” He says. Jeonghan nods. “Would you like Seungcheol to stay with you?”

Jeonghan shakes his head. Joshua takes Seungcheol by the hand and helps him out of the tub. He wraps a towel around Seungcheol’s shoulders. He leads Seungcheol out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're all secretly furries deep down


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys have their first doctor's appointment and Joshua takes them clothes shopping.

When Jeonghan reemerges from the bathroom, he’s dropped the hair thing completely, and Joshua figures that it would be better to not bring it up again for a while. He finds it hard to sleep that night, hearing the sounds of Seungcheol’s pained whimpering through the thin walls in between his room and theirs.

Joshua fixes a hearty breakfast for the both of them the next morning. It’s full of whole foods and meats that he never would have bothered to splurge on if he had been feeding only himself. They eat in silence, only the sounds of chewing and Joshua occasionally reminding them to go slow, or else they’ll both end up with stomach aches. He can tell that it’s been a while since either of them have eaten a meal this big.

“How are you holding up?” Joshua asks. He wants to know if they’re comfortable in his home, if there’s anything else that they think they might need.

“It hasn’t even been a day.” Seungcheol mutters disinterestedly, his tough facade back in place.

Joshua tries not to take it to heart.

“I set up doctors appointments for both of you, so we’ll need to be out of here in an hour or so.” Joshua says, deciding that there’s no better time to tell them than when he has their attention on him and they’re both comfortable with bellies full of food. Jeonghan’s body goes stiff.

Joshua wants to be able to lose his patience. He wants to shake some sense into the boy, tell him that he’s just trying to help, but he knows that he can’t and he holds it in.

“That’s fine.” Seungcheol says. “Thanks.”

Joshua decides that it’s an improvement, and he nods before taking off in the direction of his own bedroom.

He sits on his bed for a few minutes, allowing his thoughts to wander while he listens to the sound of footsteps passing his bedroom door. He thinks about Soonyoung and how much he wants to apologize for always bringing this kind of crazy to their home. Joshua hopes that this time will be different.

_“Joshua, what-“ Soonyoung starts, but Joshua cuts him off._

_“I can explain.” He says. There’s a cat walking in circles around his feet and the smell of rotting food is starting to fill the entryway._

_Soonyoung sighs, “Go on, then.”_

_“I found her in an alleyway. She followed me into the car because she could smell my lunch so I just,” Joshua hesitates. “Let her.”_

_The cat runs away the next day when Joshua opens the door to take the trash out, but not before leaving a scratch on Soonyoung’s arm that suspiciously becomes very heavily infected._

A knock on the door snaps him out of his thoughts.

“Yeah?” He calls out, thinking that it must be Soonyoung, that neither Jeonghan or Seungcheol would bother to reach out to him.

The door opens to reveal Seungcheol with a very worried Jeonghan standing behind him. “Er, the doctor,” Seungcheol says, and Joshua’s head shoots up.

“Shit, right. Sorry. We should make it in time if we leave now.” Joshua mutters, mostly to himself. Seungcheol nods. He looks like he wants to say something, but he keeps it to himself.

The car ride is silent, much like the day before when he brought them home with him. He plays acoustic music through the speakers in an attempt to calm himself and the two that sit in the backseat, holding each other’s hands. It’s expected that Jeonghan would jump back to finding solace in Seungcheol before he would even consider being the same giggly thing he was when Joshua was bathing him, and Joshua doesn’t push it, no matter how hard he wants to.

They let him stay in the room with them while the doctor assesses their health. Blood tests and shots, all of which Jeonghan shies away from but is coaxed into when promised extra fish with his dinner. They make it through the appointment with very minimal tears and a prescription for supplements that will help give them back whatever it was that they lost out on the streets. Joshua wasn’t really paying attention to that last part, more interested in the way that Jeonghan was wrapping his tail around Seungcheol’s wrist, and the way that Seungcheol was definitely more dog-like when he was being praised.

“We should get you clothes.” Is all Joshua says when they’re seated in the car again. Seungcheol nods, his face remaining stoic, but his ears twitch just a little bit and Joshua can tell he’s excited.

“Can we go to one of those high end hybrid stores? We always used to pass by them and watch happy hybrids coming out with their owners.” Jeonghan asks. Joshua decides that he isn’t going to try and read between the lines, instead focusing on the cries that are already coming from his wallet.

Seungcheol must catch his expression in the mirror, because he’s telling Jeonghan that he “can only get one item from the clearance rack.” He smiles at Joshua, and Joshua smiles back.

They come home with a bag of clothes each, filled to the brim with only essentials. Underwear and bottoms that are specially made for hybrids, tshirts, and a winter jacket for Seungcheol whom Joshua is convinced is too broad shouldered to fit any of his own.

“Jesus,” Soonyoung mutters. He’s sitting on the couch with a bowl of popcorn between his legs, and Joshua scoffs. “You’re already spoiling them that much?”

Jeonghan cowers, and Seungcheol covers his ears. They take it as a sign to leave, dropping their bags and scurrying off to their room.

“They didn’t have any clothes, Soonyoung. I couldn’t keep lending them my own, did you not see the state of my button ups on Seungcheol this morning when he came down from breakfast?” Joshua says, and then he remembers that of course Soonyoung wouldn’t have seen. He’s been against these hybrids from the start. Even if the start happened to only be yesterday.

“They’ll taking advantage of you. All hybrids do.” Soonyoung says before storming into his room, slamming he door shut behind him.

Joshua is left standing alone in his own living room, a memory of Soonyoung and Mingyu playing in the back of his mind and the muffled sound of Jeonghan sobbing filling his ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we are really crossing into furry territory now...


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the first time, chaos barely ensues

Soonyoung and Mingyu shocked Joshua at first. He didn’t realize just exactly how close they were until he walked in on Soonyoung and Mingyu with their shirts off and their mouths on each other. Mingyu was worrying, he always had been in the time that Joshua had known him. He was a wolf hybrid with a tendency for emotional outbreaks. He had come so close to actually hitting Joshua once. Soonyoung was his drug, everything that Soonyoung did had a calming effect on his mind. It was like the minute Soonyoung entered the room the whole atmosphere changed. Mingyu was happier and his mood swings stopped. Which was why it was such a surprise when Joshua woke up one day to find Soonyoung crying in his doorway.

Soonyoung and Joshua had always lived together, before Mingyu and after Mingyu, they were there for each other. Joshua was Soonyoung’s rock on days when Mingyu’s note stayed clutched in between Soonyoung’s fingers and he couldn’t bring himself to leave his bed. It was simple, as simple as it could have been for someone like Mingyu. His old pack, the family that he was ripped from as a child, were in town and when they were leaving, they asked him to leave with them. Of course he couldn’t say no. Soonyoung was heartbroken. It wasn’t as simple for someone like Soonyoung.

_Soonyoung, my love. I’m sorry. I’ll come back for you one day. I promise._

_Love,_  
_Mingyu_

\-----

Joshua isn’t the best at reading people. It’s why he’s so easily surprised by everything. Specifically, warm puffs of air hitting the back of his neck the area on his torso where his shoulder meets his chest. His eyes shoot open, and he sees Jeonghan pressed up against his front. His initial reaction is to scream, to wiggle out from underneath the arm that’s trapping his waist, and consequently the rest of his body, against his bed.

Seungcheol rouses first, tightening his arm around Joshua’s waist and pressing his face into Joshua’s back as he groans.

“Stop freaking out.” He mumbles against Joshua’s skin, his voice so rough and husky at his first words of the day.

“What are you doing in my bed?” He half whispers, half screeches. Jeonghan moves and they both freeze, only letting out the breaths they’d been holding once he settles back against Joshua’s chest.

“Couldn’t sleep. And Jeonghan wouldn’t stop crying.” Seungcheol says. They’re still talking in hushed voices, the morning sun barely making it’s way through Joshua’s curtains yet.

“Oh.” Joshua breathes out. He brings his arm up, that had previously been slung across Jeonghan’s hip, and runs his fingers through Jeonghan’s hair. Jeonghan sighs and sinks deeper into Joshua’s hold.

No one talks for a long while, they just lay in bed holding each other while Jeonghan sleeps peacefully for what Joshua thinks might be his first time in a long time. Joshua is the first one to break the silence.

“We should get up soon.” He says. Seungcheol groans, barely audible but Joshua feels it against his skin and has to hold in the shiver that is threatening to make its way to his toes.

“Five more minutes.” Seungcheol mumbles. Joshua scoffs, but he nods anyways.

Joshua finds himself slipping back into a comfortable slumber, and he doesn’t wake up for another hour.

\-----

Seungcheol and Jeonghan are nothing like Mingyu. Mingyu was raised in a lab, and he had every right to be as angry as he was sometimes. Seungcheol and Jeonghan are just scared. Soonyoung just stares at them as they sit in his kitchen eating his food. Sure, Joshua bought it but it was his too, just like everything else in this apartment that they share.

“I don’t understand you, Soonyoung.” Joshua says from behind him. If Soonyoung is frightened by the sudden appearance of someone else, he doesn’t show it.

“You would if they left you.” Soonyoung mutters.

“They’re scared. Look at them, Soonyoung. They’re absolutely terrified. Just give them a chance.” Joshua says.

Soonyoung doesn’t say anything, he just shakes his head and walks back to his room. Joshua winces when he hears the door slam and he sees Jeonghan’s ears twitch.

“So, what do you guys want to do today?” Joshua says, making his presence in the room known.

Seungcheol shrugs. “Can we stay here today?” He asks.

“Yeah, of course.” Joshua says. He didn’t think that Seungcheol would be comfortable enough with living in his home to ask that kind of a question.

Seungcheol beams at him and Joshua feels his hear skip a beat.

They’re sitting on Joshua’s couch watching his favourite movie. Seungcheol and Jeonghan have never seen it before so it’s fitting that they watch it on a day in, especially when Joshua remembers that he has to go back to work tomorrow and then go to a hybrid adoption centre to find out about adopting stray hybrids. They’re over 18, so they’re technically free people, but Joshua wants their hospital bills — amongst other things — under his name.

“Can I adopt you? Both of you.” Joshua voices half way through the movie.

“Why would you adopt us? We’re both legal adults.” Seungcheol says.

Joshua shrugs. “I want to be able to protect you.” He says.

“Why would you need to protect us?” Jeonghan asks. Joshua sighs.

“You know how the government was a few years ago. I don’t want anything bad to happen to either of you if it goes back to something like that.” Joshua says.

It was only a few years ago that hybrids were granted the ability to live properly outside of shelters without owners. Before that law had been passed, shelters worked much like cruel, inhumane versions of orphanages. The hybrids were given minimal education and, once they aged out of the system, were made to live on the streets if they hadn’t found an owner by that time. That’s probably why Seungcheol and Jeonghan were out there. They turned 18 before this law was put into effect, and were left undereducated and under-experienced making them unable to find jobs and a home.

“Joshua,” Seungcheol starts. “What makes you think we’re staying?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea what I'm doing


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua goes back to work and Soonyoung stops being so hostile.

When Seungcheol wakes up, Joshua is gone. He’s still lying in Joshua’s bed with Jeonghan pressed to his side, but Joshua is gone. He pouts and throws the blankets back.

“Soonyoung?” Seungcheol mutters as he steps into the kitchen. Soonyoung is sitting at the table with a mug of coffee in his hand. “Where’s Joshua?”

“He went back to work.” Soonyoung says. He pays no attention to Seungcheol, not even bothering to turn around and face him while he speaks.

“Oh. Why?” Seungcheol asks.

“He took a week off and had to go back. How else is he going to provide for two fully grown hybrids and still pay his share of the rent?”

Seungcheol sighs. “Oh.” He can hear Jeonghan starting to rouse in Joshua’s bedroom and knows that he’ll start looking for someone else’s warmth soon.

“Speaking of,” Soonyoung says, standing up from his seat. “I have to head out. Joshua left food in the fridge. He’ll be back by four, so try not to burn the house down until then.”

And then he’s gone and Seungcheol is left all alone. He thinks that it would be better if he and Jeonghan left Joshua sooner rather than later.

\-----

Joshua doesn’t hate his job, not at all. He would just rather be sitting at home in his sleeping clothes than sitting behind a desk answering phone calls and listening to people complain. But it serves as a good distraction. He knows that he should be home with Seungcheol and Jeonghan, helping them adjust and maybe convincing them to stay, but he doesn’t want to think about that. He doesn’t want to think about how right Soonyoung was, how much it’s going to hurt when they do decide to leave.

“Joshua? What are you still doing here? It’s 5:30, you should’ve left over an hour ago.”

He glances at the clock on his computer. “Don’t really wanna go home.” He mutters.

“Did you and Soonyoung have a fight?”

Joshua forgets that no one knows about Seungcheol and Jeonghan. He forgets that they stay hidden away in his apartment only to be seen and known by himself and Soonyoung.

“Something to that extent.” Joshua mutters. “It’s fine, Hansol. Don’t worry about it.”

Joshua goes home after that, clambering into his car feeling a bit like he isn’t in control of his own body. He’s been going through motions all day, not even bothering to make sure that they were correct. He’s too attached to Seungcheol and Jeonghan, attached himself the minute he saw them cowering near the shopping carts where he found them.

“Oh, you’re back.”

Joshua didn’t even realize he had driven all the way home and stepped through his front door until he heard that.

“I was starting to get worried. Soonyoung said you should’ve been back by 4 and it’s already 6.” Seungcheol says.

Faking a smile, Joshua replies. “I got caught up with something at work. Sorry for worrying you.”

Seungcheol nods and Joshua dips his head down, sauntering past the canine to start pulling food out of the fridge. He pulls out leftovers, not feeling enough motivation to prepare fresh food. He throws it all in a bowl before sticking it in the microwave, a sickening, uncomfortable feeling sinking into his gut when he realizes that Seungcheol is watching him.

“If you don’t mind my asking, what do you work as?” Seungcheol asks. The whirring of the microwave is quiet in the background.

“I’m an editor.” Joshua says, keeping his answer short and concise, fearing that if he tries to say any more he’ll break this indifferent facade that he’s allowed to surround himself.

“Oh. That’s cool. Unexpected, but cool.”

“Unexpected?” Joshua asks.

“Yeah. I was expecting something like a doctor. You seem too keen to help the world to be anything but something like that.” Seungcheol says.

“Huh,” Is all Joshua can get out before the microwave is beeping and breaking up their conversation.

They sit in silence, Joshua scarfing down his food as fast as he can and Seungcheol just sitting and watching him.

“Where’s Jeonghan?” Joshua asks upon remembering that more than one hybrid inhabits his home.

“Napping. You know how much cats like sleep.” Seungcheol says with too much ease, as if Joshua should have first hand experience with hybrids and their animal traits. As if Mingyu hadn’t been the first hybrid Joshua had ever encountered.

“Right.” He says.

The rest of their night continues like this; slightly awkward small talk while Joshua consumes his first and last meal of the day. The moment only breaks when Jeonghan emerges from Joshua’s room, stretching his body in the hallway before walking out into the kitchen. It seems unnecessary, almost like he’s putting on a show for Joshua to watch, but Joshua doesn’t want to think that far ahead of himself. He doesn’t even know if the hybrids like him, being that they’re so eager to leave. It’s a bitter thought to have, verging on petty, and Joshua figures that it would be better if he kept it to himself.

Jeonghan and Seungcheol watch him rush around the house in an attempt to clean up before he finds himself too tired to do so. The only word that they can come up with for the way that Joshua moves is prance. Joshua prances. Even when he’s so obviously feeling down. Seungcheol and Jeonghan see through his mask so easily, well practiced in the skill of reading people and seeing people after having spent years trying to judge which passerby they would get the most food or money or _anything_ out of.

“Is there a reason why you both sleep in my bed?” Joshua asks as he’s getting ready that night. He’s reentering the room after having taken a long, hot shower, the buttons of his sleep shirt only half done.

“If you don’t want us to we won’t. We don’t want to be burdens to you, Joshua.” Seungcheol says. Joshua shakes his head.

“No. No, I was just curious.” He says. He crawls onto the mattress, claiming his rightful spot between the two. Jeonghan’s head falls naturally into the dip of his neck, Seungcheol’s arm wrapping around his waist.

“Dogs and cats are pack animals, dogs especially.” Jeonghan says a few minutes later. His voice is heavy and thick with sleep, and he’s found his place tucked comfortably into Joshua’s side.

“You consider me to be a part of your pack?” Joshua questions. He can almost feel the heat rising to Jeonghan’s cheeks.

“Yes.” Is all the answer he gets. He doesn’t even know which person it comes from.

“Then why are you leaving?”

He didn’t mean to say anything. Should’ve shut his mouth and just gone to sleep the minute he laid down in between them. He shouldn’t even be here, laying in the same bed as they are. He should be sleeping on the couch, or telling them to go back to their room.

“It’s-“ Seungcheol trails off with a sigh. “It’s complicated.”

“Uncomplicate it for me.” Joshua says.

“That’s not a word. You’re supposed to be an editor.” Jeonghan says. It’s then that Joshua remembers their enhanced hearing, and the fact that they both can probably hear his heart beating wildly in his chest.

“Right. Sorry. Just go to sleep, it’s getting late.” He says. It seems like a good time to drop it. Jeonghan’s words were meant to be teasing but they pulled Joshua back into a harsh reality.

“Joshua,” Seungcheol starts again, tightening his hold on Joshua’s waist.

Joshua shakes his head. “Sleep. I have work again tomorrow and I won’t be able to sleep if you’re both talking over me all night.” He feels a lick of guilt in the pit of his stomach, and he lets it eat at him as he runs his fingers through Jeonghan’s hair.

He’s almost completely fallen asleep when Jeonghan speaks again.

“Joshua?” He asks.

Joshua hums in reply.

“Can you take me to get my hair cut tomorrow?” He says. Joshua’s heart starts up again at its rapid pace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas!!!! I hope you all had a good one ^-^


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An issue is resolved and we learn a little bit more about the hybrids' time on the streets

Jeonghan’s hair falls just past his chin.

“Do you like it?” Is the first thing he says.

Joshua almost drops the bags that he’s holding. He gathers himself and coughs into his elbow before speaking.

“It’s nice. It suits you.” Joshua says, and he’s right. The shorter hair frames his face and accentuates his features in a way that his longer, choppier hair cut never could. Joshua should have just let him grow his hair out.

Seungcheol, on the other hound, gawks as soon as he sees Jeonghan.

All he manages to say is “What? Jeonghan— What?”

Jeonghan giggles. It’s a nice sound that leaves Joshua’s chest feeling tight.

The lady who cut Jeonghan’s hair is a kind, old lady who used to cut Joshua’s hair when he was a kid. She charges Joshua only half of what he should be paying, instructing him to use the extra money to treat Jeonghan for being so patient and polite. She tells him to call his mom, let her know that she’ll take care of him and his hybrids if need be, and then sends them off on their way. Joshua thanks her.

Seungcheol’s eyes don’t leave Jeonghan for the entire ride home, and Joshua can see the perpetual blush on Jeonghan’s cheeks out of the corner of his eye.

“You trust me, right?” Joshua says, out of the blue. He figures that the ten minutes they have left of their ride will be enough time to talk about what he wants to talk about. And the ever-moving car means no escaping from the discussion. He learned that from one of his mom’s old parenting magazines.

He looks at them through his rearview mirror. Watches them both nod their heads before he continues.

“I want you to tell me why you want to leave. No bullshit, no ‘it’s too complicated’. I want outright and descriptive.” He says. He knows he’s being harsh, that he should probably just let the topic go completely, but he’s spent nights tossing and turning, refusing to sleep in fear that one of them will leave once he’s dozed off.

“Joshua,” Seungcheol starts. He sounds like he’s about to protest.

“No bullshit, Seungcheol.”

Jeonghan whines, and instantly Joshua regrets this. The harshness of his tone, the desperation in his words. He wants to take it all back.

“I’m scared. We’re both scared, Joshua. We’re more trouble than we’re worth and we’d rather leave now than have you decide you don’t want us and then kick us out later.” Seungcheol says.

“That’s-“ Seungcheol cuts him off and Joshua clamps his jaw shut.

“I wasn’t finished.” He says. “We trust you, Joshua. We do, I mean, Jeonghan has never cut his hair this short before. If that doesn’t mean anything to you then I don’t know what else will. But we’re used to being on the streets. We’re used to not having anyone care for us. This is all just a bit overwhelming.”

Joshua feels tears prickle in the corners of his eyes, feels his grip tightening on the steering wheel. He’s frustrated, more with the situation than with Seungcheol or Jeonghan.

“First of all, I’m not going to kick you out. You’re both worth every penny and every second that I’ve spent on you. And second, you could have just told me that I was being too much. You don’t have to decide that you’re going to leave me because you think that I’m treating you too well. If you want me to take a step back, I will.” He says. His voice is verging on yelling and he can see Jeonghan cowering in his seat.

He turns into his parkade and parks in his usual spot, slamming on the breaks with a little too much force. Jeonghan scrambles to find the door handle, and just seeing that is enough to break Joshua’s haze.

“No, don’t get out yet,” Joshua starts, voice lower and head clearer. “I need to apologize.”

“You have nothing to apologize for. You have a right to be upset.” Seungcheol says.

“No, I do. I’m sorry for yelling. You’re allowed to make your own decisions. You need to understand that I’m not upset because you want to leave, I’m upset with why. I’m not going to make you stay with me if you don’t want to.” He says.

They sit in the car for a while, waiting for the tense atmosphere to lift. It never completely does.

“Come on,” He mutters, opening his door. “It’s getting late and there are groceries in the trunk.”

\-----

“I told you so.” Soonyoung mutters, smug smirk taking over his face as soon as he sees the miserable look on Joshua’s.

“Don’t.” Joshua mutters. He’s tired. His work day wasn’t particularly great, and upon returning he found his apartment completely empty, no note, no anything from the hybrids.

“They left, Joshua. They always do.” Soonyoung says.

“They didn’t leave. They probably just went out for food, or maybe they got bored sitting in here all day.” Joshua reasons. Soonyoung shakes his head and goes back to his own room.

Joshua’s sitting on the couch, staring at the front door and waiting for it to open. He’s in his pyjamas, having had the sense to change a few hours ago, before he realized that they might be gone for good. He panicked when he realized that it had been hours since he had come home and, still, neither Jeonghan or Seungcheol had come home. He sits on the couch and he waits.

It seems like it’s only been a few seconds, like he had only blinked, but when he opens his eyes it’s light out and Soonyoung is shaking his shoulder, a concerned look replacing the joyous one that he had had the night before.

“Come on, Josh. Go to bed.” Soonyoung says.

Joshua, flustered, asks for the time. His voice wavers as he does so, and he rubs at his eyes sleepily.

“It’s time for me to leave for work.” Soonyoung tells him.

This alarms him. Soonyoung leaves for work a lot later in the day than he does, and the fact that he hadn’t heard the alarm on his phone go off and that he is now late for work has him shooting up from his seat.

“Calm down. I already called your work and told them that you came down with something last night. ’24 hour stomach flu, probably. It should be gone by tomorrow, but it’s pretty nasty right now.’” He recalls for Joshua.

“Have they come back yet?” Joshua asks, his mind still somewhat stuck in a sleepy cloud.

Soonyoung bites is lip, a guilty look crossing his features, before he shakes his head.

Joshua probably looks as dejected as he feels, because Soonyoung says “I’m sorry, Josh. I know how much they mean to you.”

It’s the first time that Soonyoung has been nice about them, and they’re not even present to witness it.

\-----

When Joshua wakes up again there’s a tickle under his nose and the scent of vanilla invading his senses and suffocating him. He wakes up to an arm wrapped around his waist from behind and a head pressed to his chest. He thinks that he might still be sleeping.

“Jeonghan?” He says, pulling back slightly to look at the man in his arms. He looks unharmed, his cat ears are twitching happily in his sleep.

At the mention of his name, Jeonghan rubs the tip of his nose against Joshua’s collarbone. It’s affectionate and it sparks something within Joshua that causes tears to flow from his eyes, air catching over and over again in his throat as he sobs.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” Seungcheol says, tightening his arm around Joshua’s waist. His voice is groggy, obviously Joshua had woken him up.

“You came back,” Joshua chokes out. “I thought you left me.”

Joshua buries his nose in Jeonghan’s hair, breathing in the sweet scent that he didn’t realize he’d grown so fond of. He hadn’t realized how calming it was.

Seungcheol shushes him, pushing right up against his back until Joshua can feel Seungcheol’s warmth radiating through his own body. He can feel Seungcheol’s tail on his hip, a new sensation that he’s never felt before. It’s soft against his skin, creeping up under his shirt and resting against his body.

“I came back from work and you weren’t here. You didn’t even leave me a note.” He sobs.

“I’m sorry. We just wanted to stretch our legs. We thought we’d be back before you came home but we ran into a friend and we forgot to tell you we were spending the night at his place. I’m sorry, Joshua.” Seungcheol says. His lips are moving against the back of Joshua’s neck, and it takes everything in Joshua to not shudder.

“You ass. I was so worried.” Joshua says. The tears have stopped, and Seungcheol laughs. “Is he a nice friend?”

“One of the nicest friends we have. He let us stay with him a few times, but his apartment has a no hybrid policy so we couldn’t stay for too long. You’d like him. He’s kind of like you, has that Mother Teresa complex that you have.” He says.

Joshua laughs. “I think Mother Teresa was a little racist, wasn’t she?”

“Everybody was a little racist back then. Just like how everyone is a little anti-hybrid right now.” Seungcheol says. Joshua pouts.

“I’m not.” He objects.

Seungcheol grins. “No, you’re not. You’re one of the good guys.” He says. Joshua giggles.

He’s about to slip back into a light sleep when he hears Seungcheol speak again.

“We’re not going anywhere, Joshua. You don’t have to worry anymore.” He says, his speech faltering and then slowing until there’s nothing coming out of his mouth other than the soft sounds of even breathing.

Joshua thinks it’s amazing how Jeonghan has slept through all of this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was a bit of a wild ride, wasn't it?  
> Now all there's left to worry about is the kiss kiss fall in love stuff  
> Right  
> Sure  
> :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Domestic fluff and terrible pasts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **WARNING: This starts out incredibly fluffy but progresses to incredibly harsh please read with caution**

“Please?” Seungcheol whines.

There are dishes filling the sink, a layer of dust covering all of the furniture in the apartment, and Joshua is positive that his sheets haven’t been washed since before the hybrids started living with him. He sighs.

“There are so many chores that still have to be done. It’s only 11, Seungcheol. Maybe later, okay?”

“Can’t you get Soonyoung to do them?” Seungcheol says. He grabs onto Joshua’s arm, dragging him away from the kitchen and towards the door where Jeonghan is already waiting with his shoes on.

“I don’t want to push him. He’s just starting to accept the fact that you’re both such a big part of my life. I don’t want to do anything that will make him regret that.” Joshua says. He hears Jeonghan whine from his spot in the foyer.

Seungcheol whines, too.

“I promise,” He sees Seungcheol’s ears and tail perk up. “That we will go to the park as soon as the dishes are done and the sheets are in the washing machine.”

“Aw, Joshua.” Jeonghan whines. “Not fair.”

Joshua rolls his eyes. “You know, if you actually help with the chores, they’ll be finished sooner.” He says, retreating back to the kitchen.

He hears a “Seungcheol, help with the chores,” and the closing of his bedroom door before he can even turn the tap on. He chuckles to himself.

Seungcheol’s help turns out to be the complete opposite. He latches himself onto Joshua’s back like a parasite, wrapping his arms around his waist and slowing down his movements. It’s nice though, so Joshua doesn’t say anything.

\-----

Seungcheol is all too eager to get out of the house. He had put himself and Jeonghan on house arrest after Joshua’s breakdown. Jeonghan, a breed of house cat, didn’t mind too much. Seungcheol, on the other hand–

“Joshua, hurry.” He says. He’s bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet, staring Joshua down as he ties his shoelaces at a languid pace.

“I’m hurrying.” Joshua laughs. He takes his time in standing up, only to bug Seungcheol.

Seungcheol whines. “Finally!” He says once Joshua is up and grabbing his keys from the door beside the table.

Seungcheol yanks the door open, catching Jeonghan’s hand in his and dragging him out into the hallway. Joshua sighs and grabs two jackets from the coat rack before locking the door behind him.

He thinks that he’s seen it all when it comes to hybrids, but the sight of Seungcheol actually tearing up at his first breath of fresh air in 6 days is something he wasn’t expecting.

“You know, if you wanted fresh air so badly you could’ve gone out onto the balcony.” Joshua suggests.

“You have a balcony?”

Jeonghan and Seungcheol walk hand in hand to the park, chatting avidly with each other. Joshua follows closely behind with a smile on his face. Their dynamic is so different from when he first met them. Before, they would hold hands and keep to themselves, finding comfort and solace in each other’s touch. Now, they hold hands as a display of their affection, the comfort that they still find in each other but now want to share with the rest of the world, Joshua especially. It makes Joshua’s chest feel tight, his heart beating a little faster at the idea of being included in their idea of a family.

Joshua doesn’t realize at first, but Seungcheol is running circles around him and giggling.

“Hey, stop that.” Joshua calls out, grabbing at Seungcheol’s arm as he runs by. “You’re like a child.”

Seungcheol doesn’t say anything, he just grins and pecks Joshua’s cheek before running off again.

Jeonghan contrasts this behaviour, settling down on a dry patch of grass that is directly underneath a ray of sun. The atmosphere surrounding him is lethargic, and Joshua finds himself attracted to the spot beside him.

“He has so much energy.” Joshua says in awe. Jeonghan shrugs.

“I think he’s just happy. He doesn’t have to worry about when or where he’s going to get his next meal anymore.” Jeonghan says.

Joshua takes Jeonghan’s hand in his. “He doesn’t have to worry about anything anymore. Neither do you. I’ll take care of you both.” He says. Jeonghan smiles, leaning back to bask in the sunlight. He doesn’t try to let go of Joshua’s hand.

\-----

Seungcheol is much calmer on their walk back. He wraps his jacket tightly around his shoulders and clutches Joshua’s hand in one of his own. Jeonghan latches onto Joshua’s free arm, lacing their fingers together and swinging their hands back and forth. It’s a carefree kind of comfortable that Joshua thought he would never be able to reach with these two. He does still feel like he’s stepping on glass around them, specifically Jeonghan, but he feels the tension between them dissipating slowly as Jeonghan becomes used to his surroundings.

“Joshua,” Jeonghan whispers, nudging him with his elbow. It pulls him out of his thoughts completely.

“What’s wrong?” He asks. Jeonghan shakes his head, moving so that he’s mostly standing behind the human, arms wrapped around his bicep.

He feels Seungcheol’s hand tighten around his.

“Oh, isn’t this a sight for sore eyes.” Joshua hears. He can’t pinpoint where the voice is coming from, but all of a sudden there’s a hybrid standing in front of them, snarling in their direction.

They halt to a complete stop. Seungcheol growls and Joshua can feel Jeonghan cowering behind him, his grip still tight on his arm.

“Seungcheol, what happened to you?” The hybrid says. “You let yourself be pimped out by some twink with a day job?”

“It’s none of your business.” Seungcheol growls, low and deep in his throat. Joshua has never heard him sound so threatening before. He almost shivers at Seungcheol’s voice, but he keeps his composure. He’s their human, he has to protect them.

The hybrid laughs, his short blonde hair bouncing with each breath that he takes. He’s in a similar state to how Jeonghan and Seungcheol were when Joshua found them.

“If that’s all, we’ll be going now.” Joshua says through gritted teeth. He’s terrified, but he channels it into anger. It feels similar to the kind of anger that he felt when Mingyu left.

“That’s not all.” The hybrid says. Joshua thinks he’s another cat hybrid, but he can’t be sure with how matted the fur on his ears is. “Jeonghan ever tell you about how they got food on slow days? How many people was it, again?”

Jeonghan whimpers. “Stop it.” He mutters.

“Sorry, what was that? At least 20? That has to classify you as something, Hannie.” The hybrid quips.

“Stop.” Jeonghan chokes out.

“I don’t think you heard me. If that’s all, we’ll be going now. It wasn’t a question.” Joshua is seeing red. He drags Jeonghan and Seungcheol forward, pushing past the blonde cat.

“I’m just reminding you of what they really are. They–“

Joshua cuts him off, whipping around and pushing the two hybrids behind him. “Let me guess, they’re street rats, right? They belong in alley ways and abandoned train stations? Just like you? Let me remind you of what _you_ really are. You’re the street rat, not them. You’re the one that belongs in alley ways and abandoned train stations. You’ll spend the rest of your life out on the streets watching the people who used to be below you surpass you completely and forget about you, because guess what? Even people like me have people like you. The people who think they can make themselves feel better by making others feel worse.

“I’d like to remind you that they live with me. They’re already better off than you’ll ever be, and you’re envious. You want what they have but you’ll never have it. Why? Because you’ll spend the rest of your life fighting to be at the top of a food chain that you really should be fighting to get out of completely. Now, if that’s all.”

Joshua grabs Jeonghan’s wrist as he walks away. Seungcheol catches up to them not even a second later, lacing his fingers through Joshua’s again. He doesn’t bother to look back, the shellshocked look the blonde had given him burned into the back of his brain and reminding him that Seungcheol and Jeonghan are safe now. He doesn’t need to justify how mean he was, because preserving the safety of his hybrids is justification enough.

He doesn’t even stop to consider exactly when they became _his_ hybrids.

“Have we ever told you how grateful we are for you?” Seungcheol says once they’ve rounded the corner to their apartment complex. He squeezes Joshua’s hand for emphasis.

Joshua lets out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding. “I’m sorry you had to see that. I don’t know what came over me.”

“Don’t,” Jeonghan says. His hand wraps tighter around Joshua’s arm. “Don’t apologize. He would’ve never left us alone if you hadn’t. He has an inferiority complex. You had all the power in that situation and he wouldn’t have stopped if you hadn’t used it to your advantage.”

“Yeah,” Joshua scoffs. “I could tell. What an asshole.”

Seungcheol sighs. “He didn’t used to be that bad. He was put into the system about a year after we got to know him. Messed him up when he was thrown back out onto the streets.” He says.

Joshua shakes his head. “It shouldn’t be like that. Ending up like that shouldn’t even be a possibility.”

Jeonghan runs his fingers over Joshua’s arm, but Seungcheol speaks for him. “Don’t worry about him, okay? Worry about yourself. Worry about Soonyoung. Worry about us. Don’t worry about him. He’s not worth a second more of your time. Save all that precious brain space for remembering my favourite food or remembering the only shampoo that Jeonghan will use.” He says.

“Red bean taiyaki. Vanilla custard shampoo from the drugstore on 45th.” It shocks him that he actually remembers.

Seungcheol’s eyes shine with pride and Joshua feels the blonde hybrid slipping from his mind. Jeonghan leans his head against Joshua’s arm as he unlocks the door, the scent of vanilla washing over him and calming his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really didn't mean to go in that direction with this.... it was intended to be fluffy filler I swear  
> Three guesses as to who the blonde hybrid is (hint: he's not from seventeen)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Addressing the Mating Cycle Issue™

The sound of heavy breathing wakes Joshua up early on a Sunday morning. He can feel Seungcheol’s head, hot against the back of his neck. He shoots upright, the feeling of a burning forehead unsettling him.

“Seungcheol,” He mutters, shaking him.

Seungcheol whimpers, pushing his face into Joshua’s side.

“Get up. What’s wrong?” He shakes Seungcheol again.

The jostling wakes Jeonghan up, and he curls around the other side of Joshua’s waist. Suddenly, the bed feels too small. He crawls down to the foot, grabbing Jeonghan and pulling him along.

“Can you go grab a glass of cold water? And fill a bowl with cold water, too, and bring me a towel?” He says. Jeonghan’s eyes shoot open, fully awake. He takes one glance at Seungcheol before nodding his head and rushing out of the room.

Seungcheol writhes on the bed, and Joshua crawls back up to his side. He sits at the head of the bed, dragging Seungcheol’s head into his lap and placing a hand on his forehead. He pouts at the scalding heat under his fingers.

“Cheol, baby, tell me what’s wrong.” He doesn’t know where the pet names come from, but they slide off of his tongue with a sweet taste.

Seungcheol groans. He rubs his nose against the inside of Joshua’s thigh, and Joshua shivers. “Like it when you call me that.” He mutters. His voice is rough and the vibrations against Joshua’s leg have him immediately regretting getting back into bed.

Jeonghan returns then, a glass of cold water in his hands. Soonyoung is behind him, carrying a bowl and a facecloth. Joshua takes the cloth from Soonyoung, soaking it in the water and then placing it on Seungcheol’s forehead. Seungcheol whimpers, rubbing his nose against Joshua’s leg again. Jeonghan kneels by the side of the bed, placing his hand on Seungcheol’s cheek.

“Silly puppy.” He mutters, briefly replacing his hand with his lips.

“Seungcheol, you need to tell me what’s wrong so that I can help you.” Joshua mutters again.

All Seungcheol does is whimper for the umpteenth time.

“No, I know what’s wrong.” Soonyoung says. “Hybrids, especially canines, have mating cycles. There are a few days in each month where their bodies, uh, crave for mating.”

“Is he in pain?” Joshua says. As if on cue, Seungcheol whimpers.

“Very much so.” Soonyoung winces. “Mingyu used to take suppressants for his, but sometimes he’d forget and,” He trails off.

“How do I help him?” Joshua asks. He sounds like he’s about to start crying, and maybe he is. He’s always been too sensitive to the pain of others and Seungcheol’s tears are hot on his thigh.

Soonyoung scratches the back of his neck, shifting his eyes to look at anything but Joshua. “Take him to a doctor for suppressant shots or,” He trails off again, his cheeks turning red.

Seungcheol whines at the idea of having to go back to the doctor.

“He doesn’t want a doctor. Is there anything else I can do?”

“Er, you can leave him alone for however long this period of his cycle lasts or you can, uh, mate him.” Soonyoung says before immediately bolting out of the room, missing how Joshua’s face pales and how Seungcheol whimpers at the prospect.

\-----

“How long does this usually last for?” Joshua asks. Jeonghan shrugs his shoulders.

Even with the door closed, Seungcheol’s pained whines are as clear as day, each louder than the last. Joshua feels like crying, still.

“He’s never done this before.” Jeonghan says. Seungcheol lets out a particularly deep groan that makes Jeonghan shiver.

“If it gets any worse I’m taking him to a doctor.” Joshua says.

Jeonghan bites the inside of his cheek. Joshua can see him debating with himself, weighing their options. He knows that neither hybrids like going to the hospital, their first check up was evidence enough. He knows that if Seungcheol were feeling even the slightest bit better, getting him to the doctor would require a bigger fight.

He nods. “Okay.” He says. “I don’t like seeing him in pain like this.”

“Hey,” Joshua mutters, wrapping his arms around Jeonghan’s broad shoulders. It always shocks him how inherently masculine Jeonghan is for such a typically slender and feminine breed of hybrids. “It’ll be okay.”

Jeonghan sighs against Joshua’s neck and nods again.

\-----

At around 6pm, the whining stops. Joshua and Jeonghan are sitting on the couch watching a movie, and Joshua feels Jeonghan slump against his side as soon as the quiet hits his ears.

“He’s asleep.” Jeonghan mutters. “His breathing is a lot quieter now.”

Joshua has to remember that Jeonghan can hear a lot better than he can.

“Think he’ll be asleep for long?” Joshua mutters.

Jeonghan sighs. “I hope so,” His words are cut off by a yawn, and Joshua chuckles.

“Sleep. You need some rest too.” He says. He wraps his arm around Jeonghan’s shoulders and guides Jeonghan’s head to the crook of his neck.

“Have Seungcheol and I ever told you that you smell really good?” Jeonghan sighs.

Joshua lets out a laugh, a breathy short one that is absolute music to Jeonghan’s ears. “No, I don’t think you have.”

“Oh, that’s a shame. You smell really good.” He says. He pauses before he speaks again. “I really like this Joshua.”

“What? Cuddling? You’re always welcome to do that, Jeonghan.” He says.

Jeonghan shakes his head. “No, I mean, like, doing stuff with you without Seungcheol. I love Seungcheol with all of my heart, but sometimes I feel like you like him better than you like me.” He says.

Joshua pouts. “I don’t want to push you to do things that you’re uncomfortable with. That doesn’t mean that I like you any less.”

Jeonghan sighs and sinks further into Joshua’s side. He closes his eyes and lets sleep take over his body, breathing in the warmth and sweetness of the apartment that smells a little more like home with each passing day.

Joshua lets the rest of the movie play, but he doesn’t watch it. He cards his fingers through Jeonghan’s hair, occasionally stopping to pet the fur on his ears. He likes the way that they twitch in his sleep, the smile that settles on his face. Jeonghan’s long, white tail is curled around his own waist, just barely touching the side of Joshua’s body. He’s pretty sure that Jeonghan has never let his tail free in all the time he’s been here, but he figures that he will once he’s more comfortable with where he’s living.

\-----

The end of the movie brings another round of whining. Joshua leaves Jeonghan asleep on the couch, regretting it once he sees the way Jeonghan reaches out and clutches around thin air in his sleep, his ears stilling and his smile dropping. He presses a kiss to Jeonghan’s forehead and the smile returns.

“Seungcheol,” Joshua lets out quietly as he peeks his head into the room.

Seungcheol is lying on the floor, most of his clothes discarded. It makes Joshua’s stomach twist to see him in this much pain.

“I’m fine,” Seungcheol groans, seeing the concerned look on Joshua’s face.

“Cheol,” He says. He sits down on the ground, beside where Seungcheol is lying. He puts a hand on Seungcheol’s forehead to check his temperature, but the moan that Seungcheol lets out distracts him.

“That feels good. I think you’re made of ice.” Seungcheol says.

Joshua sighs. “I think you need a doctor, Seungcheol.” He mutters.

Joshua can tell that his own presence isn’t really helping the situation, but he’d feel too guilty if he left now.

“Joshua,” Seungcheol whines. Joshua cringes at the desperation in his voice.

“Let me take you to a doctor, baby.” He pushes Seungcheol’s hair out of his face, the damp hair that sticks to the layer of sweat on his forehead.

Seungcheol puts all of his effort into shaking his head, denying the help that Joshua wants to give him. “Just lie here with me,” He says. “Please.”

Joshua sighs again and removes his hands from Seungcheol’s face so that he can lower himself onto the ground. He scoots down so that their faces are level with each other and then returns to petting Seungcheol’s hair. Seungcheol pushes himself forward, touching his forehead to Joshua’s. Joshua can feel the sticky layer of sweat on his skin.

“If you’re not better by tomorrow, we’re taking you to a doctor.” Joshua says. It’s not a question or a request this time, it’s a demand. He knows that Seungcheol won’t budge unless he’s made to.

“We?” Seungcheol asks.

“Jeonghan will help me.” Joshua explains. “He’s not opposed to you seeing a doctor if you really need to. He’ll help me drag you to the car.”

“Traitor,” Seungcheol says, but the soft smile on his face tells Joshua that he doesn’t mean it.

Seungcheol closes his eyes and pushes forward again, pressing himself to Joshua’s front. He rests his head right up against Joshua’s rib cage, the beating of Joshua’s heart loud and prominent in his ear. The short ears on the top of his head twitch with each beat.

“Hey, Seungcheol? What breed of dog are you?” Joshua asks.

“Husky.”

“Ah. Cute.”

“You’re cute.” Seungcheol says, but it’s a slurred mumble into the front of Joshua shirt as he succumbs to another hour of sleeping. He rubs his nose against Joshua’s collar before turning around, dragging Joshua’s arm around his waist and cuddling it to his chest.

“Not as cute as you.” Joshua mutters.

He pulls Seungcheol in even closer to himself before following him into a long nap on the cold hardwood floor of his bedroom.

\-----

When Joshua wakes up again Seungcheol is asleep in his arms and Jeonghan has curled up on the bed. The bed seems like such a comfortable place to be, and Joshua completely submits to temptation. He picks Seungcheol up from the floor, which proves to be an insane struggle, and places him on the bed in his usual spot. Jeonghan turns and curls into Seungcheol’s side. Joshua feels a pang in his heart before he sees Jeonghan take a sniff in his slumber, a pout falling onto his face immediately after.

“Jeonghan, you have to make room for me.” He mutters, trying to wiggle himself into the small space between the two.

Jeonghan huffs, sluggishly moving over to leave just enough room for Joshua to squeeze into. The room that he's left with afterwards, once Jeonghan has taken his rightful place against Joshua’s chest and Seungcheol has slung an arm around his waist, is significantly less than the room he started with.

“I’m worried about him,” Jeonghan mutters in a voice that's still thick with sleep.

Joshua sighs. “I know, baby. So am I.” He says. He curls his fingers through Jeonghan’s hair, massaging his scalp as he tugs on the dark strands. Jeonghan hums.

“I like that you call us that.” Jeonghan says, burying his nose deeper into Joshua’s sternum. “It makes me feel really warm inside.”

Joshua smiles but his cheeks grow hotter. “I’m glad. I was afraid I might be overstepping, but I'm glad.” He says.

He feels Jeonghan shake his head against his chest.

“You could never do that, idiot. You care too much about us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you say anything no I'm not gonna write them doing the nasty  
> Because it's nasty  
> And I'm not gonna write it


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Mating Cycle Issue™ part two (feat. a lot of crying)

They take Seungcheol to the doctor on a Friday. Joshua comes home from work early, worry etched into his face. Jeonghan is lying on the couch, gnawing at his lip and taking frequent glances at the door. He shoots up as soon as he hears the sound of keys jingling out in the hallway of their apartment building.

“Joshua,” He starts, running to his side immediately and curling around him.

“How’s he doing?” Joshua asks.

Jeonghan whimpers. “Not great.” He says.

“Has his fever gone down?” Joshua asks. Jeonghan shakes his head.

Joshua sighs. It’s all he could think about work, and it’s all he thought about on the drive home. He’s worried about Seungcheol, more worried than when he brought the two home and they told him they didn’t want to stay.

Joshua walks to his room, holds his breath when he sees Seungcheol writhing around in pain on his bed. His eyes are closed and his hair is sticking to his forehead.

“Joshua,” Seungcheol calls out. It’s more of a moan than anything, and something stirs in Joshua’s gut that he’d rather not think about.

“Joshua,” He says again when he gets no reply.

Joshua gulps down the lump in his throat. He sighs and makes his way over to the bed, and he can feel Jeonghan watching him as he moves. He clenches his fists, knuckles turning white as he sits beside Seungcheol. Seungcheol turns his head when the mattress shifts, and he wiggles himself around so that he can mouth at Joshua’s clothed thigh.

“Seungcheol.” Joshua warns him, choosing instead to crouch by the bed.

“It’s so hot. I’m gonna melt and then I’ll be stuck in your sheets and you’ll have to buy new ones.” Seungcheol says. It’s irrational at best and it makes Joshua’s entire world stop.

“We’re taking you to the doctor.”

\-----

They’re sitting in the waiting room at the doctor’s office an hour later. Jeonghan is sleeping with his head in Joshua’s lap, and Joshua is running his fingers through his hair. It’s a win-win situation; it helps Jeonghan sleep and it helps Joshua keep the tension out of his body.

The whole ride to the clinic was spent with Seungcheol across the seats in the back of the car, his head in Jeonghan’s lap. Joshua took too many glances at them through his rear view mirror, stomach curling whenever he saw Seungcheol reach up to try and kiss Jeonghan’s tummy, only to have Jeonghan push him away with a nervous glare in Joshua’s direction.

He’s lost in a thought when the doctor comes to find him, fingers tangled in Jeonghan’s hair but unmoving.

“Mr. Hong?” He hears. He whips his head around, eyes wide, when he hears his name.

“How is he?” He wants to stand up. He wants to run into the room where Seungcheol is, but Jeonghan’s head in his lap reminds him that he doesn’t have the right.

“He’ll be fine. We put him on a sedative and we’ve given him some suppressors. I just need you to go over some paperwork for him, since you are his ow-“

“Roommate.” Joshua interrupts him. “I’m his roommate.”

This comes as a shock to the doctor. His brows furrow and he pulls his clipboard that he was handing Joshua back to his chest.

“Oh. Well, in that case, Seungcheol will have to fill out his own paperwork.” He says, turning to walk away.

Joshua opens his mouth to speak up again, but decides against it. He can’t do much in terms of supporting them if they won’t let him adopt them.

“By the way, Mr. Hong, if you had brought him in any later we wouldn’t have been able to save him. I would keep that in mind for next time.” The doctor says before walking away completely.

Joshua knows that there’s an underlying message. _You could’ve prevented this if you had them registered under your name._ He doesn’t want to think about it. He chews at his lip and waits for Jeonghan to wake up

\-----

When they finally get to see Seungcheol, he’s sitting up in the hospital bed, sucking apple juice from a juice box.

“Seungcheol?” Joshua starts. All of the colour drains from Seungcheol’s face as he meets Joshua’s eyes.

“I’m sorry.” He starts to say, but he’s cut off. Jeonghan charges at him and throws himself onto the bed.

“Cheol,” He sobs into Seungcheol’s chest. “I was so worried about you.”

“Jeonghan, give him space.” Joshua says. Jeonghan pouts, but he crawls off of Seungcheol’s body and into the chair next to the bed.

“I’m sorry, Joshua. I didn’t– I don’t–“ Seungcheol stutters.

Joshua shakes his head and presses a kiss to Seungcheol’s forehead. “Don’t apologize. It wasn’t your fault.” He says.

Seungcheol nods, but Joshua feels the sob that Seungcheol fails to repress. His shirt dampens with tears when Seungcheol pushes his face forward into his chest. Seungcheol’s whole body shakes when he cries, and Joshua clenches his eyes shut as he pets Seungcheol’s hair and rocks him against his body. He can hear Jeonghan sniffling too, but he doesn’t dare look over in fear that it will make him cry as well.

“Please don’t throw us back out onto the street.” Seungcheol whimpers against his chest.

This breaks Joshua’s resolve. Tears roll down his cheeks, dripping off of his chin and into Seungcheol’s hair. Seungcheol, feeling Joshua’s tears on the top of his head, straightens up and takes Joshua’s face in his hands. He wipes at Joshua’s cheeks with his thumbs, marvelling at the wet feeling of Joshua’s skin under his touch.

“Never.” Joshua says. “I would never.”

\-----

When Seungcheol is released, he’s given a prescription for canine hybrid suppressants. The doctor slips a prescription for feline hybrid suppressants into Joshua’s coat pocket as a preventative. Joshua is grateful, and he goes home with a happy hybrid under each arm. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is as nasty as it's gonna get we're trying to keep it pg here all ur getting is a Vaguely Implied Boner© and that's it
> 
> I'm pretty sure this just reinstates that we're all furries, especially Joshua
> 
> Also be warned that this is just the beginning of the drama, you haven't seen anything yet. I have plans ..


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Filler fluff before Real Drama resumes

“G’morning,”

Joshua hears the sentiment muttered over his body. He groans, swinging his arm over his face and blocking out any source of light. It’s his day off, he deserves to sleep in as long as he wants.

“Joshua. I said good morning.”

It’s Jeonghan. Joshua can tell because of the whining tinge to his voice; the way that he demands attention even at the oddest hours of the day. Seungcheol snorts from the other side of the bed.

“It’s almost the afternoon, Jeonghan.” Seungcheol says.

“Joshua,” Jeonghan whines, dropping his head onto Joshua’s chest.

Joshua sighs. He turns onto his side, curling both of his arms around Jeonghan’s body. He hears a noise of protest come from Seungcheol’s side of the bed, but all he can do is smile at the amount of new warmth that engulfs the front of his body. He doesn’t have enough time to revel in this glorious feeling before his body is being retched back by a hand on his shoulder.

“Rude.” Seungcheol says. His head joins Jeonghan’s on Joshua’s chest.

“I think we should just stay here for the rest of the day.” Joshua mutters, wrapping an arm around Seungcheol’s neck and pulling him in closer.

“He speaks.” Seungcheol cheers.

Joshua sighs again. “Unfortunately.” He says.

Jeonghan’s giggling is like a tinkling little bell. It radiates through Joshua’s shirt, his skin, his bones. He feels his face start to get warm. He shoves his face into Jeonghan’s hair, hoping to alleviate whatever feeling this is, but the smell of Jeonghan’s shampoo makes it worse.

“Come on, Joshua. Get up.” Seungcheol nudges his ribs.

“Why?” Joshua whines. He’s been spending too much time around Jeonghan.

“You need to feed us.” Jeonghan says.

Joshua rolls his eyes, or he would if they were actually open. “Is that all I’m good for these days?”

Seungcheol joins Jeonghan in his giggling. “You’re also very nice to look at.” He says.

It makes Joshua’s heart skip a beat.

\-----

Seungcheol and Jeonghan both have a habit of invading Joshua’s personal space. They throw themselves over him when he’s sitting on the couch, they crowd up behind him and wrap their arms around his waist while he’s cooking. Joshua’s starting to find that these kinds of things are impossible to ignore and even more impossible to justify.

“Please remind me why you’re still working on your day off?” Seungcheol asks.

Joshua is sat at his desk, hunched over his computer and a stack of papers. Seungcheol digs his chin into the top of Joshua’s head, draping his arms over Joshua’s shoulders.

“Because making money requires work outside of work.” He says.

He feels Seungcheol pout above him. “But making Seungcheol happy requires paying attention to him outside of your bedroom.” He says.

“Maybe I would if you stopped referring to yourself in the third person.” Joshua says, ignoring the inherently sexual undertones of Seungcheol’s choice of words.

Seungcheol laughs. “I know. It felt weird.” He says.

“Where’s Jeonghan?” Joshua asks after a minute of silence.

Seungcheol hums, like he has to think about the answer, before replying. “Napping.”

Joshua smiles. “Of course he is.” Joshua says.

“Joshua, come on. Come cuddle and watch a movie.”

It’s genuine this time, far past the teasing, Jeonghan-imitating, whining that he’s grown used to. This is genuine concern for him, and knowing this makes Joshua’s heart swell.

“Okay. I guess one movie won’t hurt.” He says.

He turns his chair around to see Seungcheol extending a hand out towards him. He takes it, letting Seungcheol use some of his canine strength to pull him out of his chair. It’s more than he was expecting, and he’s tumbling into Seungcheol’s body before he even has the chance to yelp. Seungcheol catches him, feet rooted sturdily to the floor and arms wrapping around Joshua’s body. He laughs as Joshua struggles to find his footing, planting a hand on Seungcheol’s chest as he steadies himself.

Seungcheol doesn’t make an attempt to move, even after Joshua’s heart has stopped beating so fast and he has two feet on the ground.

“Seungcheol,” He starts. He feels the shift in the atmosphere. He watches Seungcheol’s eyes drop down to his lips, tracing the curves of his face with his gaze. His breath catches in his throat as Seungcheol’s thumb grazes the skin on his hip, his shirt having lifted up while he was stumbling around.

“Seungcheol, you can let me go now.” He says.

“Don’t wanna.” Seungcheol mutters, starting to trail his hand up Joshua’s side.

“Seungcheol.” Joshua tries again, forcing authority into his voice. Seungcheol had said once before that canine hybrids are pack animals, and Joshua isn’t afraid to use that to his advantage in situations like this.

The lust that had glazed over Seungcheol’s eyes seems to drip away almost instantly. He releases Joshua, taking a step back as his cheeks turn pink.

“I’m sorry.” Seungcheol says, dropping his gaze to the ground and fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

Joshua gnaws at his bottom lip. “Have you taken your suppressants today?” Joshua asks.

Seungcheol shakes his head. “I’m sorry.” He says again.

“Hey,” Joshua says, taking Seungcheol’s hand in his. “It’s okay. Suppressants, and then a movie and cuddles. Does that sound good?”

Seungcheol nods. He lets Joshua lead him out of the room. They pass by a sleeping Jeonghan on the couch, who whines and turns in their direction as they walk by. Joshua finds himself falling in love with these two, a love that takes a different form than he initially thought it would. Joshua is falling for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Increased Sexual Tension to appease you crazy kids


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff and filler and... Mingyu ?

Joshua wakes up to a crash coming from the living room. Seungcheol shoots up in bed, arm leaving Joshua’s waist as a low, growling noise starts to radiate from his chest. Joshua sits up in a much slower fashion, resting a hand on Seungcheol’s shoulder and telling him to go back to bed. He climbs over Jeonghan and grabs his phone.

“Joshua, I’m coming with you.” Seungcheol says. Jeonghan whimpers in his sleep, fingers clutching the pillow where Joshua had just been resting his head.

“Stay with Jeonghan.” Joshua opens the door, cursing the protesting creak that the hinges make. “I’ll be right back.”

As soon as he’s entered into the hallway, he can hear sobbing.

“Get out!” He hears Soonyoung shout. Joshua’s blood goes cold and races out into the living room.

Soonyoung is standing in front of the couch, his face red and tears streaming down his cheeks. Joshua runs to him, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. He pets Soonyoung’s hair with shushing noises falling from his lips.

“Tell him to get out.” Soonyoung mutters weakly into Joshua’s chest.

Joshua turns his head to the door, following the trail of broken candles and torn magazines, to see Mingyu standing in the front entryway. Joshua can feel tears welling in his eyes; Mingyu was just as much a best friend to Joshua as he was a boyfriend to Soonyoung.

“Soonyoung, go back to bed.” Joshua says. Soonyoung shakes his head. “Go, Soonyoung. It’s late. You have work tomorrow.”

He listens this time, sneaks one last glance in Mingyu’s direction before he’s running down the hallway, the sound of sobbing echoing after him.

Joshua stands there for a while, staring at Mingyu while he stares back. Memories of Soonyoung crying for days on end flash through his mind, and he’s left with so many unanswered questions that he wants so badly to ask.

“What are you doing here?” Is the first.

“I just wanted to see him. I told him I’d come back, didn’t I?” Mingyu says. Joshua had almost forgotten how his voice sounded.

“You didn’t tell him anything. You left a note on the counter. Why did you come back?” Joshua says. It’s low and deep in the back of his throat, like how Seungcheol growls when he’s angry.

“The pack’s not with me, if that’s what you’re wondering. I came on my own. I wanted to see him; to know that he was doing okay.” He says.

Joshua wants to yell. He wants to scream and kick and physically throw Mingyu out of his house.

“It’s been two years, Mingyu. You don’t just leave for two years and then come back without a warning. He was finally getting back on his feet.” Joshua says.

Mingyu scowls. “By doing what? Bringing other hybrids home to replace me? I can smell them, Josh.” He says.

“Oh, fuck off. You don’t get to be possessive and territorial. You don’t even get the excuse of it being a wolf thing, because you left.”

Mingyu’s resolve crumbles. “Please. Joshua, please. I just want to talk to him. I want to explain.” He sighs.

His clothes aren’t tattered, his hair isn’t messy like Joshua expects it to be. He’s standing in the entryway of Joshua and Soonyoung’s apartment looking perfectly put together, and Joshua hates it. He wants to tear Mingyu’s clothes up himself, wants to dig his nails into Mingyu’s skin until he feels as hurt as Soonyoung did.

“It’s the middle of the night. Come back tomorrow after Soonyoung is home from work and we’ll see. I can’t guarantee anything, though.” Joshua says.

Mingyu nods.

“And they’re my hybrids, by the way.”

\-----

“Don’t go.” Jeonghan pouts.

“I have to, baby. I can’t make money if I don’t go to work.” Joshua says.

Seungcheol is still sleeping, miraculously. Jeonghan is usually the heavier sleeper.

“Don’t make money.” Jeonghan says. He cuddles into Joshua’s side, rubbing his face against Joshua’s shirt.

Joshua laughs. “You’re being silly. If I don’t make money I can’t buy things for you and Seungcheol.”

“Don’t. We only need you.” Jeonghan moves his face up, ghosting his lips over Joshua’s bare collarbone.

Joshua’s skin heats up and his face turns red.

“Okay, I need to get ready for work.” He says, pushing Jeonghan away from him and attempting to sit up.

Jeonghan whines. He grabs Joshua by the arm and he whines. It’s different than Joshua is used to. It’s needier and more desperate.

“But I’m still sleepy.” Jeonghan says.

“Then go back to sleep.”

“I can’t sleep without you.”

Joshua scoffs. “Lies. You nap just fine without me all the time.” He says. He crawls out of bed and walks over to his closet.

It’s Jeonghan’s turn to blush.

“You’re just mean. I’m replacing you with Cheol.” He says, scooting over and pulling Seungcheol into his arms. Seungcheol digs his face into Jeonghan’s shoulder.

Joshua pulls a patterned dress shirt out by the hanger, holding it up and inspecting it for wrinkles. “That’s nice, Jeonghan.”

“Joshua,” Jeonghan whines. “You’re supposed to say ‘No, Jeonghan, you can’t do that.’”

“Does this tie go with this shirt?” Joshua asks, ignoring Jeonghan’s complaining.

“No, get the navy one that I made you buy. Pay attention to me!” Jeonghan says.

Joshua smiles as he starts to unbutton his sleep shirt. Jeonghan’s brain almost melts at the display of muscle and tanned skin in front of him, far too much for how early it is. Joshua’s shoulders are so broad, and Jeonghan spends the entire time that it takes for Joshua to pull his dress shirt on admiring the way that his muscles pull under his skin as he fiddles with his clothing.

“Can you pay attention to me now?” Jeonghan asks once Joshua is fully dressed, suit and tie perfectly fit to his toned physique.

Joshua smiles again and makes his way to the side of the bed. He drops down to press a kiss to Jeonghan’s forehead. “Be good while I’m gone.” He says.

Jeonghan pouts, realizing that all efforts to keep Joshua at home have been in vain.

“Should I bring you some coffee?” Joshua asks.

Jeonghan shakes his head, lower lip still jutted out in an over exaggerated pout. Joshua has to bite his tongue to stop himself from thinking about what it would be like to kiss the pout from his face.

“See you later, baby. Oh, and someone is coming by later to talk to Soonyoung, so don’t freak out if you smell another hybrid in the house.” He adds as he leaves the room.

All he hears as he walks towards the front door is the sound of Jeonghan groaning and the bed creaking as he falls back onto it.

\-----

When Joshua gets back from work, Soonyoung is sitting on the couch looking shellshocked. Seungcheol is placing a mug full of tea on the coffee table in front of him, and he shoots Joshua a worried look when he hears the door open.

“How did it go?” Joshua asks as Seungcheol approaches him.

“It was a lot of yelling and I think Mingyu is coming back again later.” Seungcheol says, voice low and barely audible. Joshua peaks around him to look at Soonyoung, who hasn’t even touched his tea.

Joshua nods. “Okay. I’ll take it from here. Thank you.” He says. Seungcheol smiles at him, fond and caring, and caresses his cheek. Joshua’s breath catches in his throat.

“Soonyoungie?” He says, stepping around Seungcheol and rushing over to Soonyoung’s side. He plops himself down on the couch. “What happened?”

Soonyoung’s mouth opens and closes a few times, struggling to find words. “He’s- He’s staying.” He says, his brows furrowing together as he himself processes the information.

“Staying?” Joshua prompts.

“He said that his pack came into town for a little bit, but he’s staying here after they leave. He wants to be with me again. H- He wants to be able to care for me again.” Soonyoung says.

“And? What do you want?” Joshua asks. He’s worried about Soonyoung. Soonyoung deserves the best of the best.

“I don’t know.” He says. “I don’t know. He’s picking me up at seven, and he’s taking me to that restaurant that we used to love, but I just don’t know.”

He curls over and throws his face into his hands. Joshua runs a hand through his hair, hoping that it’s actually as comforting as it seems to be.

“I love him, Josh, I never stopped. But it hurts to look at him. I don’t want him to leave again.”

\-----

Jeonghan and Seungcheol. There are so many details of their lives that Joshua still doesn’t know about. He doesn’t know how such domestic hybrids lived for so long on the streets, he doesn’t know how they managed to stay as healthy as they did. And he definitely didn’t know that they were together.

He expects that Jeonghan and Seungcheol will be sitting on their bed, because at this point it’s just as much theirs as it is his, when he comes home from work. This is a habit of theirs. Joshua comes home from work and they’re sitting on his bed, waiting for him to trade his work clothes for sweats and a t-shirt and join them in bed for cuddles and a nap. What he doesn’t expect is to come home, exhausted and overworked, to Seungcheol pinning Jeonghan’s arms above his head and nibbling at his neck.

He clears his throat, heat rising to his cheeks. Seungcheol scrambles to the other side of the bed, hanging his head in embarrassment. Jeonghan is shameless in the way that he is completely unfazed, purring at Joshua standing in the doorway as if it were just any other day.

“This is new.” Joshua says, laying his laptop down on his desk and undoing the fastenings on his jacket. It’s meant to be teasing, but to his own ears he sounds a little bit envious.

“Um, not new, just well hidden.” Seungcheol says. He scratches at the back of his neck.

“Oh.” Is all Joshua can say. His fingers fumble with the buttons of his shirt as a voice in the back of his head reminds him that they don’t need his as much as he thinks they do.

It takes a few minutes for Seungcheol to come back to his senses, and by then Joshua is already in his sweatpants and scrambling to leave the room.

“You okay?” Seungcheol asks.

Joshua hums in reply, nodding his head slightly.

“Come cuddle.” Jeonghan demands, reaching in Joshua’s direction.

Joshua hums again. “Okay.” He agrees.

It feels wrong to be wrapping his arms around someone who was just under someone else, but Joshua pushes that thought to back of his mind and lets himself relish in the feeling of Seungcheol’s body pressed to his side and Jeonghan’s head resting on his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That went in a complete different direction than I had planned....


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We are maybe getting somewhere ????

Seungcheol is humming. He’s humming in Joshua’s ear, an arm wrapped around his waist. Joshua turns, letting Jeonghan continue to sleep beside him. Seungcheol’s tail joins his arm on Joshua’s body, curling around the top of his thigh.

His hand crawls up Joshua’s side, reaching up to Joshua’s face and pushing his hair away from his forehead.

“Work?” He asks, a fond tone to his voice.

“No. I took the day off to spend with you and Jeonghan and Soonyoung and Mingyu.” He says.

Seungcheol’s grin widens and he places a chaste kiss to Joshua’s lips. “Good.”

“Good.” Joshua repeats, grinning and returning the kiss with one of his own.

“Joshua?” He hears Jeonghan say, but it sounds far away, as if Jeonghan isn’t lying right beside him.

“Joshua, wake up.”

“Joshua.”

Joshua shoots up in bed. Jeonghan is grinning over him, squishing his cheeks in between his hands. Seungcheol is standing at the foot of the bed, tittering at the way Joshua looks with his cheeks squished together and his lips puffed out like a fish.

“Joshua, wake up. You have to feed us.” Jeonghan coos.

Joshua groans, batting lightly at Jeonghan’s hands but missing and hitting his face. Jeonghan hisses, but it’s accompanied by a playful giggle.

“You’re an ass. I was having a good dream.” Joshua says, his cheeks warming up a little.

“Too bad, we’re hungry.” Jeonghan says.

Joshua huffs, a burst of air that hits Jeonghan’s cheek. He grabs Jeonghan’s shoulders and pulls him down so that he’s resting on his chest. Jeonghan squeals as Joshua laughs and cuddles him to his chest.

“Hey!” Seungcheol protests. “I want in on this cuddlefest.”

He crawls onto the bed, dropping himself on top of the other two. He lays his head on Joshua’s chest, right beside Jeonghan’s, and rubs his cheek against the soft cotton of Joshua’s sleep shirt.

“Joshua?” Seungcheol starts.

Joshua hums in reply.

“We love you. So much. You know that, right?” Seungcheol says.

“Of course. What brought this on?” Joshua asks. He misses the knowing glance that Jeonghan shoots in Seungcheol’s direction.

“Well, it’s just-“ Seungcheol starts, but he’s cut off by Soonyoung shouting from the living room.

Joshua giggles. “I guess he’s hungry, too.” He says. Seungcheol groans.

\-----

It’s a Saturday when Joshua finally has a long-awaited talk with Soonyoung. He sits down on the couch, forces Soonyoung to sit with him while Seungcheol and Jeonghan are taking a nap, and places a tub of fried chicken and a few cans of beer on the coffee table.

“What’s all this? A date?” Soonyoung jokes.

Joshua snorts. “We all know that my love lies with my job.” He says.

“Does it, though?” He raises his eyebrows suggestively, and Joshua’s cheeks turn pink.

“This isn’t about me.” Joshua says defensively, swatting at Soonyoung’s arm and grabbing a can from the table. “This is about you and your recently returned former lover.”

Soonyoung’s smile falters, but it never leaves. Joshua knows that he’s trying to put on a brave face, trying to pretend that he’s not as hurt as he actually is.

“It’s not a big deal.” Soonyoung says.

“You can’t pull that shit with me, Soonyoung.” Joshua scoffs. “I’m your best friend.”

Soonyoung lets out a puff of air that sounds more like a sob than anything. “He’s- I don’t know what to do. When we went out to that restaurant again, it was like nothing had changed. It felt like the last two years that I’ve spent trying to get over him just didn’t exist.” He says.

Joshua places his drink back down and takes Soonyoung’s hands in his. “Soonyoung, please. What do you want? What are you expecting to get out of spending time with him? An apology? An explanation?”

“Oh, trust me, I got those.” Soonyoung sighs. “He’s not a dick, Josh. You know him just as well as I do.”

“Yeah. I know. I just really want him to have changed. I want him to be mean or awful. I hate that he had a good reason to leave, because I can only hate him for leaving you. He didn’t do anything else wrong.” Joshua says.

Soonyoung scoots over and lays his head on Joshua’s shoulder, sighing again.

“I don’t even hate him for leaving me.” He admits.

“You should. I watched you cry for two weeks straight after he left. You shut down, Soonyoung. You almost lost your job. It was heart breaking.” Joshua says.

“That was all me. I was the one who wasn’t strong enough to handle it.”

Joshua’s heart sinks into his stomach. This is the most they’ve ever talked about Mingyu leaving, and he almost regrets it. Knowing everything that was running through Soonyoung’s head in those moments, in the months right after Mingyu left. It brings back the fire in Joshua’s gut that he felt back then, telling him to track Mingyu down and deliver his heart to Soonyoung on a silver platter.

“No. No, you don’t get to say that. You were strong enough. You are so strong. You had me, you could’ve fallen back on me and let me deal with the rent and the upkeep of the house, you could’ve let me share some of your burden and grieve with you. But you didn’t. You did it all by yourself and that’s admirable. You’re not allowed to think that you weren’t strong enough.” Joshua says.

“If I were strong enough, I wouldn’t still be willing to run back into his arms.” Soonyoung sighs.

“Wrong. If you weren’t strong enough, you wouldn’t be willing to see him at all.”

\-----

“Joshua, can you come here for a second?”

Joshua drops the towel that he was using to dry the dishes. He had just finished washing the pile of dishes that had started to take over the sink. He doesn’t hesitate for a second, placing the entertainment of his hybrids over mediocre house chores, even though they’re perfectly capable of entertaining themselves and the dishes really need to be put away before they go to bed.

“What do you need me for?” He says.

Jeonghan is asleep on the couch, his face hidden in Seungcheol’s neck. Seungcheol has a hand laced Jeonghan’s hair, softly carding through the strands. He reaches in Joshua’s direction.

“Cuddles.” Is all he says.

Joshua smiles, his entire body heating up as he makes his way over to Seungcheol’s side of the couch.

“I feel like we should wake him up. He’s not going to be able to sleep later, all he’s done today is nap.” Joshua says as he delicately places himself in the space that Seungcheol’s made.

He curls up against Seungcheol’s side, swinging his legs over Seungcheol’s and tucking his feet under Jeonghan’s for warmth. Seungcheol wraps an arm around his shoulders, pulling him even further into his side. He drops a kiss onto the top of Joshua’s head.

“He’s tired.” Seungcheol reasons.

Joshua snorts. “He’s always tired.” He says. He tries so hard to ignore the way that Jeonghan mouths at Seungcheol’s skin in his sleep, almost mindless and desperate, like it’s become second nature to him.

“What do you think he’s dreaming about?” Joshua asks. Seungcheol seems to know what he’s talking about right away.

He looks down at Jeonghan with a smile on his face. Joshua thinks that it might just be his own brain telling him that Seungcheol’s face becomes so much softer when he’s looking at Jeonghan.

“Honestly, I’d bet you like five dollars that he’s dreaming about napping.” Seungcheol says. Joshua snorts again.

“What do you dream about, then?” Joshua says.

Seungcheol’s cheeks turn pink and a bashful smile begins to grow on his face.

“How hard would you judge me if I said I dream about playing fetch?” He says.

Joshua laughs, a light, airy laugh that makes Seungcheol’s whole body feel like it’s floating in the clouds. He leans down to nudge Joshua’s nose with his own. Joshua’s breath catches in his throat, and he thinks he should start a running tally for how many times they’ve made him feel like this.

“I wouldn’t judge you that hard.” He says. To his own ears, he sounds breathless. He’s hoping, though, that he sounds perfectly fine to Seungcheol.

“Joshua?” Seungcheol starts. Joshua hums. “How hard would you judge me if I said I dream about kissing you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought about posting something shitty like "joshua was murdered to death... the end" for april fool's day but... i'm not harsh like that


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua tries to confront Seungcheol, but he keeps being interrupted.

“You laughed?”

“You’re making it sound worse than it is. It was nervous laughter, I was nervous.”

Joshua’s head is in Soonyoung’s lap. Soonyoung’s hands are running through Joshua’s hair, gently pulling apart the knots and tangles. He clings onto Soonyoung’s leg, comforted by the fact that Soonyoung probably can’t see how red his cheeks are.

“Josh, he probably thinks he fucked up.” Soonyoung says.

Joshua whines. “No, he probably thinks I was laughing at him. I fucked up.” He says.

“I mean, I can’t argue with that.”

“Fuck you, you’re dating your ex.” Joshua says. Soonyoung leans over so that he can look Joshua in the eye, and Joshua bats playfully at his cheek.

“We’re not dating. We’re just,” He hesitates.

“What? Going on dates every other night and kissing on the doormat and thinking that I don’t know these things? Because I do, Soonyoung. I know everything.” Joshua giggles.

“No,” Soonyoung defends, the corners of his mouth turning up in a smile. “We’re working things out. I know why he left in full detail, and he knows that I’ll never truly, 100% forgive him for leaving, but we’re working it out.”

Joshua pokes a finger into Soonyoung’s stomach, wiggling it around until Soonyoung starts squirming and swatting at his hand.

There’s a pause in their conversation. Soonyoung runs a hand through Joshua’s hair and Joshua sighs.

“You should talk to him. Both of them.” Soonyoung says.

Joshua sighs again. “I know.”

\-----

Jeonghan is purring. Seungcheol is sitting on the couch sipping from a juice carton and reading the book that he had asked to borrow last week. It would be unfair for Joshua to ruin a moment like this, they both look so at peace with the world. He wishes he could take a picture of Jeonghan, curled up on an armchair, his eyes shut and his tail swaying in the air. He runs a hand over his face, imagining how Seungcheol will flinch away from him as soon as he sits down, how Jeonghan might glare at him if he wakes up.

“Joshua?” Seungcheol calls out, placing his juice box down on the coffee table.

Shit.

“Yeah, it’s just me.” He says. He walks out into the living room, joining Seungcheol on the couch. Seungcheol hums and grabs his arm, tugging him closer.

“You’re so far away.” Seungcheol says.

“Oh.” He lets out. He scoots over.

Seungcheol curls up against his side, tucking his feet up under his legs and resting his head on Joshua’s shoulder. Joshua wraps an arm around him instinctively, and Seungcheol places his book in Joshua’s lap.

“Can you read it to me? I’ve been trying to read it on my own but it’s more interesting when you read it to me.” He asks. This makes Joshua smile.

He nods his head, taking the book from Seungcheol’s lap. He starts reading, his voice melting into the sounds of rain hitting the window pane, of the buzz of the radiator. Joshua doesn’t think that the room heating is necessary, not if he has Seungcheol to curl up with. He reads until his voice is hoarse, until his lips are chapped, and Seungcheol barely stays awake through the whole thing. His head lolls forward, Joshua’s shoulder digging into his neck and his face smushed up against Joshua’s chest.

He can feel Seungcheol breathing against his arm. It’s calming, the feeling of Seungcheol’s lungs filling and emptying. There’s a crack of thunder, and Seungcheol jumps out of his skin. He digs his face into Joshua’s neck and whimpers. Joshua tightens his arm around Seungcheol’s body, he feels Seungcheol take a particularly long inhale and then feels some of the tension leave his body. It leaves heat rising up to his cheeks.

“Seungcheol,” He mutters, rubbing a hand down Seungcheol’s arm. “Why don’t we go get ready for bed?”

Seungcheol whines, nosing at the base of Joshua’s throat. “Don’t wanna move,” He says.

Joshua giggles. “You have to.”

“But you’re so comfy.” He whines again. He throws an arm over Joshua’s waist. It makes Joshua’s skin burn and his heart flutter.

“Hey, Seungcheol, I–“ Joshua starts, but he’s cut off by Jeonghan gasping and throwing himself up off of the armchair.

“Joshua,” Jeonghan cries, looking around himself frantically.

Joshua’s heart falls into his stomach. He scrambles off of the couch and out of Seungcheol’s hold. He continues stumbling around furniture until he’s holding Jeonghan in his arms, petting his hair and pulling his head into his chest.

“I’m right here.” He says.

Tears are soaking through his shirt and Jeonghan is sobbing.

“Y- You went away. I couldn’t find you.” He manages to get out around sobs.

“I’m right here, baby. I would never leave. It was just a dream.”

Seungcheol stays in his place, staring at the two of them with shock in his eyes. He’s never known Jeonghan to be someone who has bad dreams, and he’s never seen Jeonghan like this. There’s so much fear in his eyes, more than when Seungcheol had almost been taken away for trying to steal food from a convenience store.

“I think now would be a good time to go to bed, huh?” Joshua suggests.

They both nod.

\-----

“Seungcheol, I’ve–“

“Joshua, I need your help in the kitchen.”

“Seungcheol, I–“

“Joshua, your phone’s ringing.”

“Seungch–“

“Joshua, Mingyu’s here. I’m leaving.”

The universe is absolutely, one-hundred-percent against Joshua talking to Seungcheol about _the thing_. Or maybe it’s just Soonyoung. Either way, it’s been five days and Joshua still hasn’t had the chance to address _the thing_. He’s been forced to battle not only his own inner turmoil, but every single interruption that he faces.

His heart is still beating, his lungs are still working, and yet he hasn’t managed to tell Seungcheol that he does want to believe, very badly, that Seungcheol dreams about kissing him. Very, very badly. In his mind, it’ll happen something like:

_”Hey, Seungcheol.” Joshua says. He’s leaning against the door frame, still wearing his work clothes._

_Seungcheol is in bed with Jeonghan, having just woken up from a nap. Jeonghan is still purring away, tail and ears twitching happily as he sleeps._

_“Can I talk to you?” Joshua asks. Seungcheol sits up in bed, face flushed and hair messy. He nods and pats the space beside himself._

_“What’s up?” Seungcheol asks. Jeonghan wraps himself around Joshua’s waist like a second skin._

_Joshua takes a deep breath, heart rate increasing. “You know how the other day you said you dream about kissing me? Were you being serious?” He asks._

_Seungcheol’s cheeks turn pink and he turns his head the other way, refusing to let Joshua see him. “Yeah. I was.”_

_“Oh. Good.” Joshua says._

_“Good?” Seungcheol turns his head to face Joshua, his entire neck as red as a tomato. His ears twitch and his tail starts swishing in the air._

_Joshua nods his head before leaning in to press a kiss to the corner of Seungcheol’s mouth. “Good.” He says._

In reality it happens more like this:

Joshua opens his mouth to start speaking. He has Seungcheol’s full attention on him. It’s the perfect opportunity, Jeonghan is napping and Soonyoung is nowhere to be found. As soon as he opens his mouth, there’s a knock at the front door. He groans, but trudges over to open it anyways.

“Who’s there?” He starts to say, but he barely gets out a syllable before the door is being forced open and government officials in chunky black vests are storming his apartment.

The force of the door swinging open sends him flying into the wall behind him. His vision goes blurry for a second, his ears ringing. When he comes to, Seungcheol is shouting and Jeonghan is being dragged from his room with tears streaming down his face.

“What are you doing? You’re hurting him!” Joshua struggles to his feet.

“Mr. Hong, these are unadopted, documented hybrids.”

He doesn’t know where the voice came from until he turns around. In total cliche fashion, there’s a broad shouldered, tall man standing in his doorway wearing a suit and reflective sunglasses. Joshua wants to punch him in the face, half because he’s approving of this harmful behaviour, half because it’s not even sunny outside.

“They’re of legal age. They’re independent.” Joshua says. It sounds like begging to his own ears, though he doesn’t know what exactly he’s begging for.

The man removes his glasses. Contrary to his stereotypical style of dress, he wears a look of sympathy on his face.

“That label is no longer applicable, according to new laws that were passed at the beginning of the week. All unadopted hybrids belong to the state and are to be returned to the closest shelter, no matter what age they are.” He says.

He hears the crack of something electrical. The man flinches and he hears a whimper, and then he hears nothing. He can’t hear Seungcheol yelling, he can’t hear Jeonghan’s cries for help. He can’t hear anything except for the sound of heavy breathing and shuffling of feet against carpet.

“I’ll adopt them, I’ll do anything. Please, don’t take them away.” Joshua sobs.

He doesn’t want to turn around and see Seungcheol’s limp body, barely being held up by two men. He doesn’t want to turn around and see Jeonghan being flung over someone’s shoulder. He wants to see Jeonghan and Seungcheol cuddled up on his couch, to see Jeonghan napping on an armchair and Seungcheol watching a movie.

“There’s really nothing I can do. I’m sorry.”

He collapses onto the floor in a heap, unable to fight the weakness that he feels in his knees any longer. A choked sob leaves his mouth as he watches his two hybrids be dragged from his apartment, from their home. He watches the man give one last sympathetic nod before he closes the door, leaving Joshua alone in an apartment that hasn’t seen less than two people at a time in weeks.

He doesn’t know how long he stays there, sat on the floor crying. He doesn’t even try to move until he hears the door open again.

“Joshua, where are Seungcheol and Jeonghan?” Soonyoung calls out.

“They’re–“ He sobs.

“I came home early to warn you about the new hybrid laws. Where are they?”

Joshua shakes his head. All the blood drains from Soonyoung’s face. “You’re too late, Soonyoung. They’re gone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been planning this since i started the series... sorry


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua is sad, Jeonghan and Seungcheol are essentially MIA, Joshua and Vernon have a good (read: lowkey angsty) Bro™ time

“Please, I need to see them.”

“I’m sorry sir, they’re not in the system yet.”

“But they’re my hybrids, they shouldn’t have to be put in the system in the first place.”

It’s safe to say that Joshua has been crying for 2 days straight. He had gone to work with tear stains running all the way down his cheeks and neck, and was immediately told to go back home. Soonyoung and Mingyu take turns watching him at night, making sure that he doesn’t do something incredibly stupid before he has the chance to get Jeonghan and Seungcheol back. Joshua has never considered himself to be a violent person, but for the past few days he’s wanted nothing more than to punch Soonyoung and Mingyu in the face.

Mingyu, unlike most hybrids, still has a mother. Because his mother is still alive—even if he had been taken from her at a young age—he’s safe. He’s been saved from every single backwards law. Joshua wishes that Jeonghan and Seungcheol had the same luck, even if it means that he might have never met them.

“There’s nothing I can do. I’m sorry.”

It feels like that’s all Joshua’s been hearing.

“Joshua, let’s go home.” Soonyoung says. He grabs Joshua’s elbow and tries to coax him from his seat.

“Can we come back tomorrow?” Joshua asks. He feels helpless. He can’t remember what it was like living without Seungcheol and Jeonghan, and now that he hasn’t seen them in over 12 hours, he feels lost.

“I gave them your number, they’ll call once you can see them. But it probably won’t be tomorrow, Josh.”

\-----

Joshua has never felt like this before. He feels empty, like his usual contentedness with life has disappeared. He just wants Jeonghan and Seungcheol back; he wants to hold them and cuddle them. He wants to wake up with Jeonghan’s head tucked into his neck and Seungcheol’s arms wrapped around his waist. He can’t even sleep in his own bed without them anymore, sleeping there feels like a sin. He falls asleep on the couch in his work clothes, waking up to a blanket that Soonyoung’s placed on top of him to keep him warm and a note saying that Joshua’s boss called, Soonyoung explained the situation, and he’s been given as much time off as he needs to sort everything out. He was ahead of his work anyways.

He sits on the couch, not bothering to move too much from where he was sleeping. He rubs his eyes, grabbing his phone to check the time. He’s disappointed to see that there aren’t any voicemails, or even any missed calls. He’s about to put his phone back down when it starts buzzing in his hands. He gets excited at first, but then he sees Vernon’s name on the screen and his smile drops.

“Hmm?” Is how he answers the phone.

“Wow, peppy.” Vernon teases. Joshua just grunts in response.

“I was wondering if you wanted to do something? I have the day off and you seem like you might need a distraction.” Vernon offers.

Joshua sighs. “You have no idea how nice a distraction sounds right now.”

Vernon chuckles, a sound that makes Joshua smile for the first time in a few days. “Good. I’ll be over in a bit and we can decide where we want to go from there.” He says.

“Sounds like a plan,” Joshua says. “I’ll try and gather enough motivation to take a shower. Maybe I’ll even shave.”

Jokes. He’s making jokes now. Jokes are good.

Vernon laughs again. “Alright. See you in a bit.” He says.

The emptiness that Joshua was feeling returns as soon as he hears the click of Vernon’s phone disconnecting.

He stands up as soon as he realizes that the longer he sits on the couch wallowing, the emptier he feels. He plugs his phone in, the big red bar in the corner of his phone flashing at him and warning him that he’ll soon be disconnected from the rest of the world if he leaves it alone any longer. His lock screen taunts him, a photo of Jeonghan and Seungcheol napping on the couch that he had taken a week ago. He feels his eyes start to sting, and he locks his phone before he can think too hard about the two of them sitting in some secluded room in a hybrid shelter, only having the company of each other and wondering where Joshua is.

\-----

Vernon shows up as soon as Joshua is getting out of the shower, towel still wrapped around his waist when he answers the door.

“Sorry. I’ve got bad timing.” Vernon says as he steps into Joshua’s apartment.

Joshua shrugs. His hair is dripping onto his shoulders and he’s starting to get cold.

“Are you doing okay?” Vernon asks.

Joshua shrugs again as he makes his way back to his room. He feels disappointed for a moment, seeing his bed empty and clean, but he lets it go, forcefully ignoring it as he rifles through his closet.

He emerges from his room in under 5 minutes, sweatpants and sweatshirt with the hood pulled over his hair. Vernon smiles as soon as he sees Joshua, if only to let him know that it’s okay that he can’t make an effort right now.

They make a somewhat silent decision to go get lunch and eat a movie, silent decision meaning that Vernon takes Joshua by the arm and starts dragging him down the hallway, a loud protest falling from Joshua’s lips that he has to lock the door. The care ride there is quiet, the car ride back even quieter. There’s music flowing through the speakers of Vernon’s car, but Joshua ignores it, choosing instead to let his mind wander to Jeonghan and Seungcheol.

“Are you okay?” Vernon asks, reaching over to shut off the stereo.

“Huh?”

“You’re crying.” He says.

“Oh.”

Joshua sniffles, wiping the tears from his cheek. He turns his head away, staring out of the window. He had spent all of lunch with Vernon forcibly shoving all thoughts of Jeonghan and Seungcheol to the back of his mind, and now they’re flooding him.

“Do you miss them?” Vernon asks.

Joshua nods. He bites his tongue, he wants to say something to attest to how much he actually misses them, but he’s afraid that if he opens his mouth to speak he won’t be able to do anything but sob.

His phone rings then, and he answers it without even bothering to look at the screen.

“Hello?” He asks.

Soonyoung almost doesn’t want to say anything after hearing the hopeful glint in Joshua’s voice. “Sorry, Josh. It’s just me.”

Joshua feels something inside of him literally drop to the ground, and he feels Vernon drive off without it.

“Oh,” He says, and then refuses to be sad anymore and forces some semblance of joy into his tone. “What’s up?”

“Nothing. I was just worried. I came home and you weren’t here, I thought,” He stops, he doesn’t really know what he thought. Maybe that Joshua had decided to go visit the shelter again, maybe that he’d become so unwilling to bare this pain anymore that he had done something worse.

“Sorry, I guess I should’ve texted you or left a note or something. I grabbed lunch with Vernon. We’ve on our way back now.” Joshua explains.

Soonyoung hums. He lets Joshua go with a “see you in a bit, then.” The car ride goes back to silence, the music still turned down from when Vernon had started speaking.

“You don’t have to do that, you know.” Vernon says. They’re pulling into the apartment parkade, and Joshua wonders if he can stall long enough that he’ll be able to jump out of the car and lock himself in his apartment to avoid this conversation completely.

“Do what?” Joshua asks. He’s good at feigning innocence and naivety, he knows this.

“Pretend to be happy for everyone else’s sake. You’re allowed to be as sad as you want for as long as you want.” Vernon says.

Joshua sighs. “I know, I’m just tired of being sad. I’m tired of feeling like everyone’s pitying me. I don’t want pity, I just want Jeonghan and Seungcheol back.” By the end of it, he feels like he’s choking on his own words.

“Hey, it’s okay. I get it, I’ve had loved ones taken away from me before, too. You will get them back, I promise.” Vernon says, grabbing Joshua’s hand and squeezing it.

They’ve parked, the car is unlocked, and yet Joshua feels himself unwilling to move.

“But when?” He asks.

He says it so quietly that Vernon almost misses it. The way that he says it is desperate, full of longing and despair. It makes Vernon’s heart weep.

“I don’t know, Joshua. I don’t know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sad joshua is sad :(  
> I won't let this go on for very long don't worry  
> Jeonghan and Seungcheol will be back before you know it
> 
> I've been posting extra notes on my twitter so go there if u want


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stubborn Joshua™ = new friend

“Sir, I’m sorry, they’re still not in the system.”

Joshua is tired. He’s had a long day at work, his first day back after a week of consistent breakdowns and Soonyoung forcing food down his throat, and he just wants to know if Jeonghan and Seungcheol are okay.

“It’s been two weeks. How much longer am I supposed to wait? They’re my hybrids.” He doesn’t mean to snap or sound so angry, but he’s just so tired.

“I’m sorry, sir. We’ll give you a call when you can come visit them.”

He feels tears well up in his eyes at being denied the right to see two people who he had considered to be a part of his family. The lady is wearing attire similar to a surgeon, and her face is completely placid.

“Okay,” He chokes out. “Thank you.”

He turns to leave, barely hearing her call out after him again.

“Wait. There’s someone who wants to see you.” She says.

Joshua scoffs. “Who could possibly want to see me that I’d be allowed to see?” He says, but he follows her anyways.

She leads him down a series of confusing corridors, all grey and concrete and dimly lit. There are doors with keypads and doors without, but all of them look like they’ve been made out of pure steel. She stops in front of a door without warning, Joshua almost crashing into her back as her fingers fly over the buttons. The keypad gives an eerie screech and then the door is open and Joshua can see a bright, large room filled to the brim with hybrids laughing with each other, hybrids sitting alone at tables, even a few humans.

He stops for a moment, his eyes darting around the room in search for a swaying cat tail or fluffy, light brown hair. He sees nothing.

“They’re not here, if that’s what you’re wondering. The unregistered hybrids have a separate feeding schedule.”

Joshua hadn’t even realized that she was talking to him.

“Right. Who was it that wanted to see me?” He asks.

“He’s just through here.” She says, pushing a few doors open until they’re greeted by the sight of a long corridor, much like a dorm hall. “The first door to your left.”

Joshua takes cautious looks back at her as he walks over to the door. He knocks tentatively on the door, watching as she leaves. His heart starts pounding in his chest.

He hears a muffled ‘come in’ through the door, and he stands out in the hall for a little longer before pushing into the room.

“Hello?”

“Please don’t freak out.” He hears.

He whips his head around in the direction of the voice, a familiar voice that leaves a twisting feeling in his gut. A similar feeling to the one he had felt when Jeonghan and Seungcheol had been taken away from him.

Choppy blonde hair and cat-like features. Joshua glares. The hybrid whines.

“Come on, man. I said don’t freak out.” He says.

Joshua doesn’t say anything, he just stands in the middle of the boy’s seemingly empty room and stares, eyes narrow.

“I’m sorry, okay? I want to help you.” He says.

“What’s the catch?”

“Huh? Why would there be a catch?” The hybrid says.

“You’re a street rat. There’s always a catch.” Joshua says. He keeps his voice low in his throat, as threatening as he can be.

“Okay, first of all, I’m an arctic fox, not a rat. Second of all, there’s nothing that I want from you that I can’t get in here.”

Joshua sighs. “Why am I here? Why did you ask to see me?” He demands. He doesn’t have the patience for this hybrid’s behaviour, not when he’s feeling so exhausted, both physically and emotionally.

“It’s Seungcheol and Jeonghan. They’re not hurt, stop looking at me like that. I just thought I’d see you, so I could let them know that you’re not giving up. They swept the streets and registered all of us before they went searching in houses, so I figured I’d be the only one allowed to talk to you.” The hybrid says.

“You’ve seen them? Why are you being so nice?”

“Why are you asking so many questions?” He glares. “I’ve seen them, yeah. Our feeding schedules overlap. They’re not looking so great, but they’re not as bad as they were before you. They miss you.”

Joshua gnaws at his lips. “Okay, but why are you being so nice?” He asks.

The hybrid shrugs. “I felt bad. You were right about me being envious before. They were ripped out of the hands of someone who loved them, I guess it just hit too close to home.”

“Oh. Sorry. Thanks,”

“Taehyung.” The hybrid supplies.

“Okay. Thanks, Taehyung.” Joshua says. Taehyung smiles.

“They should be registered within the week. I’ve been peaking at the lists.” Taehyung says. Joshua nods.

“You know, you’re actually not that bad.” He says.

Taehyung smiles, bashfully in a way that turns his cheeks into puffballs.

\-----

The drive back to his apartment is quiet. There’s no music flowing through his speakers, no Jeonghan in the backseat trying to fight Seungcheol for control of the radio, even though Seungcheol always sat up front. The roads are quieter, too. The streets are clear of all hybrids, except for the occasional collared one. It reminds him that he really should start looking into adoption paperwork, even if owning Seungcheol and Jeonghan like a couple of pets isn’t something that he’s necessarily comfortable with. He just wants them to come back home.

He pulls into the parkade with a sigh. It’ll be another day of coming home to Soonyoung and Mingyu cuddling on the couch, or Soonyoung eating instant ramen at their kitchen counter. He doesn’t want to be greeted by that sight. He wants to see Jeonghan running up to him and knocking him over while he tries to untie his shoes, or Seungcheol shushing him when he slams the door shut because Jeonghan is napping. Instead, he gets nothing. No Soonyoung, no Mingyu. Nothing.

He huffs. There’s nothing worse than being disappointed and then being left alone to wallow in your own disappointment, he thinks.

He huffs again. Wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's not a long chapter but it's all I have the energy for right now sorry


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The return of Seungcheol and Jeonghan. Kind of.

Joshua wakes up at 3 in the morning with sweat dripping down his back. In the past few weeks, it’s been a usual occurrence for him to be rudely awakened in the middle of the night by a nightmare or a memory. This time, he wakes to his phone ringing. He rubs at his eyes groggily, groaning as he paws at his bedside table in search of his phone.

“Hello?” He answers, pressing his phone to his ear with the most pressure that his half-asleep muscles can muster.

“Mr Hong? This is the adoption agency.”

Energy jolts through him and he shoots up in bed. “Is there something wrong with Jeonghan and Seungcheol?”

“No, sir, there’s nothing wrong with them. Quite the opposite, actually. They’ve been registered into our system and are able to have visitors now.”

The voice on the other side of the line sounds tired and mechanical, but Joshua doesn’t care.

“Now as in now-now or later-today-now?” He asks. His heart is racing in his chest, threatening to break through his ribcage and shoot across the room.

“I doubt our hours of operation are going to stop you, sir. Though,” Joshua stops in the middle of throwing his bedsheets off of his body. “They’re probably asleep right now.”

He freezes, his whole body shutting down. “Right. Of course. Sorry, I was just so excited.”

Joshua can practically hear the pitying smile that she gives him. “It’s alright, sir. We’ll have someone wake them up as soon as the shelter opens.”

\-----

The ride to the shelter is difficult. One on hand, Joshua wants to get there as fast as he possibly can, on the other, going even one kilometre over the speed limit would probably result in something unfavourable. He takes another sip of his coffee as he considers this. His sleep had been cut short by excitement and anticipation, and in this 4-hours-of-sleep state that he’s in, he can feel his reflexes already failing him.

His eyes feel heavy as he drives, but he shakes the feeling and the initial distraction that he feels. He’s determined to see Jeonghan and Seungcheol today. Will they look different? Will they be well-fed? He worries for the entirety of the car ride, his brain coming up with something worse each time.

By the time he reaches the shelter, he’s crossed straight into worrying that they won’t be alive, which is a completely ridiculous fear to have.

“Mr Hong,”

It’s someone different today, not the kind lady from before with a knowing smile and zero questions. This is someone new, someone that Joshua has never even seen at the shelter before. He has a bright smile that takes up half of his face and makes his cheeks puff out to the sides, and dirty blonde hair that reminds Joshua of white sand.

“Follow me, please.”

Joshua follows this mystery man through the empty cafeteria and what seems like 18000 hallways until they finally reach a door that looks a little bit like the entrance to Taehyung’s room.

“You wanna surprise them?” The blonde man suggests with a grin on his face.

Joshua bites his lip and considers shoving pas the man and barging into the room, but instead he agrees. He hadn’t thought that it would be possible for this guy to smile even wider, his eyes practically receding into his face as his grin takes over.

He knocks on the door, and walks into the room. Joshua takes a minute to gather his bearings, listening as the man says “Jeonghan, Seungcheol, it’s time for breakfast.”

He walks into the room as soon as he hears the telltale shuffling and groaning of his hybrids rousing themselves. His heart pounds with each step that he takes closer to the door.

“Joshua?”

He can’t bring himself to look at them. He knows that if he looks at them he might cry, so overwhelmed with emotions that he won’t be able to stop himself.

“Joshua, is that really you?”

He doesn’t even need to think about biting back tears, because Seungcheol starts sobbing. It kicks everything into gear; Joshua runs over to Seungcheol’s bed and tears start to fall down Jeonghan’s face as he kicks at his blankets in an attempt to get them off faster.

“It’s me. I’m here.” Joshua coos as he pulls Seungcheol into his arms.

Seungcheol clutches at his neck, grasping at Joshua’s body as if this physical, skin on skin connection is his only tether to reality. He sobs into Joshua’s neck, his whole body shaking with the sheer force of how hard he’s crying.

“I’m here.”

Joshua repeats it like a mantra, curling his fingers into Seungcheol’s hair and clenching his eyes shut. Jeonghan purrs as he crawls onto Seungcheol’s bed and curls up against Joshua’s arm. He wedges his way in between Seungcheol’s and Joshua’s body, creating enough room to be able to place his ear to Joshua’s chest. He sits there for a while, letting the thrum of Joshua’s heart wrap his entire body in a blanket of safety and comfort.

It takes almost an hour to calm Seungcheol down. An hour of Joshua kissing his cheeks and his forehead. An hour of Jeonghan running a comforting hand down Seungcheol’s spine, delivering kisses to Seungcheol’s neck and lips, and comforting Seungcheol in a way that Joshua desperately wanted to be able to.

Seungcheol’s eyes are puffy and red when he finally sits back on his heels, keeping a hand wrapped tightly around Joshua’s so as to not loose this comforting sense of physical contact. Joshua takes his free hand and wipes the tears and snot from Seungcheol’s face with his sleeve, allowing his fingers to linger on the soft plushness of his cheek. Seungcheol leans into the touch, closing his eyes and sniffling.

“Can we go home? Please tell me that we can go home.” He says.

Joshua sighs, rubbing his thumb across Seungcheol’s skin. Jeonghan whimpers.

“Please, Joshua.” Jeonghan says. It breaks Joshua’s heart to hear them like this, to hear the heartbreak in their voices when they speak.

“There’s paperwork. A lot of it.” Joshua says. His voice is watery and wavering. He’s on the edge of breaking down into his own fit of tears. “I’ve done what I can, but a lot of it has to be filled out by either the shelter or both of you.”

“Did you bring it with you? We’ll fill it out right now.” Seungcheol says.

“Seungcheol, you need to eat.” Joshua says.

“I’m not eating here anymore. I’m not doing anything without you by my side.” He insists. His eyes start to glaze over with tears, and they fall silently down his cheeks as his body shakes.

Joshua grabs Seungcheol’s face in both of his hands. “Come on, baby. What happened to the strong guy who looked out for himself _and_ Jeonghan before you met me? You can be strong for me, can’t you?”

Seungcheol nods, tears streaming down his face. Jeonghan scoots over to Seungcheol’s side, wrapping his tail around his waist.

“You just have to be strong. You keep taking care of Jeonghan in here and you’ll be able to come home before you know it.”

Joshua hates himself for admiring the way that Seungcheol’s tongue sticks out of his mouth to wet his lips, hates himself for thinking that Seungcheol still looks so beautiful, even with tear stained cheeks. He hates himself for wanting so badly to be able to lean forward and capture Seungcheol’s lips between his, for wanting to be able to comfort Seungcheol in every way possible. It’s then that he realizes that he wants to be something more for both of them.

“I love you.” Seungcheol says. Joshua’s heart lurches into his throat and his stomach starts to flutter.

“I love you, too. Both of you. I love you so much, okay? This will all be over soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [check out my twitter](http://twitter.com/memeyoozi) for the notes for this chapter (I wanted to say a lot so I'm not gonna put them here lol)  
>  also here's another round of guess the mystery character: who's the dirty blonde new help at the shelter that leads Joshua to Seungcheol and Jeonghan's room


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeonghan and Seungcheol deserve a welcome home party, but things don't go exactly as expected.

Jeonghan bolts up in bed with Joshua’s name on his tongue. He whimpers when he realizes that he’s still lying in an uncomfortable bed in a hybrid shelter. The smell of cleaning solution and sterilized walls invades his senses as he wraps his tail around his waist.

“Cheol?” He calls out.

Seungcheol hums from the other side of the room.

“I’m scared.” He says.

Seungcheol hums again. “I know, baby. I’m scared too.” Seungcheol says.

Jeonghan sighs. He pulls the blankets up as far as they’ll go, gathering them under his chin. It’s a weird sensation, the feeling of being scared and unsafe in the safest place that they’ve ever been. Uncertainty is what scares him the most; the thought of not knowing when he’ll be back in Joshua’s bed, the smell of Joshua’s cologne and his natural smell surrounding him in a cloud of comfort. This place that he’s in right now, essentially a fortress of security with locks on every door and someone at the front door at every hour of the day, couldn’t feel less safe, with its lack of comforting smells and its lack of Joshua.

“I miss Joshua.”

Seungcheol sighs, and Jeonghan can swear that he almost whines. “I miss him too.” He says. Jeonghan hears the shuffling of sheets, and then Seungcheol is in bed with him.

“Cheol, no. They’ll get mad again.” Jeonghan protest, pushing against Seungcheol’s chest. Seungcheol doesn’t move.

“I don’t care. I need to take care of you. Remember what Joshua said?” He wraps his arms around Jeonghan’s body.

Jeonghan pushes at him again, this time in a teasing manner. “I’m pretty sure he was just trying to get you to stop crying.”

Seungcheol presses a kiss to his forehead, and Jeonghan can feel the smile against his skin.

Seungcheol’s smell is almost as comforting to him as Joshua’s is. It’s a warm cinnamon, so contrasting to Joshua’s cool, woodsy scent that sends shivers down his spine. Seungcheol places a finger under Jeonghan’s chin, tilting his head up so that they’re looking right at each other. In an instant, Seungcheol’s lips are on Jeonghan’s. They meld together like they were made for each other, Seungcheol’s lips moving against Jeonghan’s slowly and softly, in a lethargic sort of way that sets off alarms in Jeonghan’s mind. He pulls back, resting a hand against Seungcheol’s chest.

“You’re tired. Sleep, I’ll be fine.” He says.

Seungcheol nods, leaving a parting kiss on Jeonghan’s forehead before retreating to his own bed.

“I love you, Seungcheol.” He says, but Seungcheol is already too far gone to reply.

\-----

“Joshua is coming, Joshua is coming.” Jeonghan chants as he bounces on the edge of his bed, much like a child on Christmas morning.

Seungcheol giggles. “If you keep doing that you’ll break the bed.”

Jeonghan ignores him, bouncing away as they wait. This time, the door is open, so they smell him before they see him. Jeonghan shoots out of the room as soon as he hears chatter in the hallway.

“Jeonghan!” Seungcheol calls after him, already prepared to scold him. But it gets lost in his throat, turning into nothing more than a squeak when Joshua appears in the doorway, Jeonghan clinging to his waist despite being taller.

“Hi, Seungcheol.” Joshua says. His smile is bright, but it does nothing to hide how tired his eyes are. Still, it sets Seungcheol’s heart on a rampage, beating wildly out of control in his chest. Jeonghan giggles at the sound.

“Hi,” Seungcheol replies. He feels entirely out of breath, as if this is his first time seeing Joshua in a while, even though he had seen him the day before.

Joshua thrusts a hand out in Seungcheol’s direction without saying much else. It takes a second for Seungcheol to gather his bearings enough that he’s able to take Joshua’s hand confidently, but he does it, and then Joshua is leading both of them out of the room and into an office. They stop in a doorway, Seungcheol’s grip tightening on Joshua’s hand as he stares up at Joshua with skepticism in his eyes.

Joshua gives him reassuring nod, leaning over and placing his lips right by Seungcheol’s ear. “Don’t worry, okay? I’ll be right outside the whole time.” He says, but again, Seungcheol doesn’t move.

Joshua looks up again, locking eyes with one of the shelter aids. He leads Seungcheol outside, leaving Jeonghan in the room.

“Seungcheol,” Joshua starts, taking Seungcheol’s face in his hands. “They only need a few signatures and then you can come home with me. That sounds nice, right?”

Seungcheol nods, but his lips are trembling.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Joshua asks, but Seungcheol doesn’t know. “What are you scared of?”

“I don’t- I don’t want to be taken away again.” His cheeks turn wet with tears as he speaks.

The shelter feels like a prison, like Seungcheol could suddenly be taken away from Joshua forever. The past few weeks have clouded his mind with nothing but uncertainty, and he can’t seem to shake it. Joshua is standing right in front of him, holding him and comforting him, but he still feels scared beyond belief.

Joshua wipes Seungcheol’s tears from his face, replacing them with kisses and soft touches.

“After this, they won’t be able to. I had a lawyer look over the contracts, okay? You’ll be safe and you’ll be mine.” Joshua says.

Seungcheol nods again with a sniffle. Joshua gathers him into his arms, running a hand through his hair in an attempt to calm any remaining anxiety. They stay like that for a while, holding each other until Seungcheol is calm enough to stand on his own.

“Are you okay now?” Joshua asks, pulling back.

“Yeah,” Seungcheol says. “I love you.”

Joshua smiles at him, soft and warm, and it sends tingles through Seungcheol’s spine. “I love you too, Cheol.” He says, and Seungcheol believes him. More than he believes anything else in the world.

\-----

Seungcheol stays in the front seat of the car, holding Joshua’s hand for the whole drive back to Joshua’s apartment. He holds his breath while they walk up the stairs from the parkade, and doesn’t let it go until Joshua is unlocking the door.

“Surprise!”

Soonyoung and Mingyu are standing in the living room surrounded by balloons with a banner hung from the ceiling that reads ‘Welcome home!’

Jeonghan giggles, stumbling over to Soonyoung and tackling him onto the floor, dragging Mingyu with them. They burst into a fit of laughter, Mingyu nipping at Jeonghan’s ear playfully.

Seungcheol stands in the entryway for a while longer, his hand gripping Joshua’s as he lets the mingling scents of Joshua and Soonyoung take over his senses. Joshua’s hand in his roots him to reality, the constant pressure in his palm reminding him that he isn’t dreaming. He’s really home.

“Happy?” Joshua asks, starting to tug Seungcheol into the living room to join the others.

Seungcheol looks at Joshua, a grin growing on his face. “Yeah, I am.”

At that, Joshua surges forward, dragging Seungcheol to what has turned into a giggling pile of limbs. He leans down, reaching in and pinching Jeonghan’s cheek. Jeonghan yelps, biting at Joshua’s hand but missing due to the two bodies on top of him.

“Come on,” Joshua says, holding his hand out for any one of the three to take. “There’s cake.”

Jeonghan is the first to grab his hand, using it to pull himself up. “Where is this so-called cake that you speak of?”

Joshua laughs. “It’s in the kitchen. But, you have to kiss me first or you’re not allowed to have any.” He says, turning his face and tapping on his cheek.

When Jeonghan hesitates, Joshua turns back to him with his eyebrows furrowing together in guilt. “Jeonghan, I was kidding. You don’t have to.” He starts to say, but he’s interrupted by Jeonghan’s lips brushing against his own.

Jeonghan pulls back with a sheepish grin. He tucks his hair behind his ear, a nervous habit that he developed when they had cut it.

Joshua stays frozen in shock for what seems like an eternity, his jaw slack and his eyes wide.

“Joshua?” Jeonghan asks, his head starting to flood with concern. Had he not read the signs properly? Had Joshua really not wanted to kiss him?

Joshua doesn’t move from his spot, only raises his hand to his mouth as his cheeks start to turn pink. He touches his lips, feeling the leftover tingling under his fingers. He starts to feel embarrassed, like he’s standing naked in the middle of his living room with four other people staring at him, even though he’s fully dressed.

“Oh,” Is all he says.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear, I planned to have Seungcheol and Joshua kiss first, but this just happened  
> It's out of my control this story has a mind of its own  
> Also like... can we talk about Al1 for a second.... I love it. I love them. I'm so proud of my boys


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A large mess of emotions with a happy ending

Mingyu and Soonyoung. Or, really, just Mingyu on his own. Where he started to fit back into Soonyoung’s life, Joshua isn’t quite sure. Where he started to fit back into Joshua’s own, contentedly digging his own place in Seungcheol’s and Jeonghan’s hearts, Joshua is even less sure of.

The realization of this hits him hard, like a slap to the face, on a particularly dreary Sunday evening, maybe a week before Jeonghan and Joshua had been taken away.

“Joshua,” Jeonghan whines, curling his tail around Joshua’s thigh.

“I’m sorry, Jeonghan, I’m working.” Joshua sighs, running a hand through Jeonghan’s hair try and satisfy him even in the slightest. Guilt roots itself deep in Joshua’s stomach.

“Can I go cuddle Cheol?” He asks. A pout is settling on his face, though, because he already knows the answer.

“Seungcheol is sick. Let him rest.”

“But won’t cuddles make him feel better?”

Joshua can hear the distress in Jeonghan’s voice, his desperation for attention and affection, so he turns away from his work to grab Jeonghan’s face in his hands.

“I don’t want you getting sick. You’re not immune to this stuff, baby. You can cuddle with him when he’s feeling better.” Joshua explains, but Jeonghan persists.

“Why do you get to cuddle with him, then?” He whines.

“Because I actually got the flu shot instead of chickening out as soon as I saw the needle like _someone_ did.” Joshua teases.

“Joshua,” Jeonghan whines again.

Joshua giggles, but their conversation is cut short by Soonyoung and Mingyu walking into the living room.

This had been the first time that Joshua had seen Soonyoung clinging to Mingyu like he used to. It was a little bittersweet to see Soonyoung’s fingers intertwined with Mingyu’s, to see their limbs locked together so tightly that you couldn’t tell where one ended and where one began.

Mingyu throws himself onto the couch as soon as he’s toed his shoes off by the door. Jeonghan abandons Joshua completely in favour of resting his head in Mingyu’s lap and his feet in Soonyoung’s. Joshua’s jaw drops a little, this being a completely new sight to him. Jeonghan sticks his tongue out in Joshua’s direction. It makes Joshua’s stomach flip, the way that Soonyoung and Mingyu just let Jeonghan lie there, even going so far as to pet him hair and his tail.

Joshua’s quick to jump on the opportunity to tease Jeonghan in return when he hears Seungcheol calling out to him from their bedroom. He sticks his tongue out at Jeonghan as he gathers his things from the kitchen table.

\-----

Now, standing in the middle of his living room wearing a shocked look on his face, it’s hard to process Jeonghan turning to Mingyu and Seungcheol, but especially Mingyu, for comfort.

It makes sense, logically, for Jeonghan and Seungcheol to take comfort in having Mingyu around. Though hybrids don’t usually get along with each other, the fact that Seungcheol and Jeonghan know that Mingyu is Soonyoung’s probably helps.

“Joshua?” Jeonghan calls out. He extends a hand in Joshua’s direction, but leaves it hovering over his shoulder. “Please, say something.”

“I,” Joshua starts, but he can’t find any words.

He can’t stop himself from smiling, not necessarily because he’s happy that Jeonghan kissed him but because he’s flustered and embarrassed. It’s a bashful smile that doesn’t take up much of his face and means that he’s putting on a facade for the sake of everyone else in the room. It completely contrasts the kind of smile that he’d usually give Jeonghan and Seungcheol.

“Josh?” It’s Seungcheol this time. He takes Joshua’s hand in his and rubs his thumb along the inside of his palm.

“I just,” Joshua hesitates. “I need a minute.”

Soonyoung nods, ushering the three hybrids out of the room. Seungcheol’s hand drops from his, leaving his fingers cold and twitching. As soon as he hears the click of his bedroom door closing, tears start to fall from his eyes. The ‘welcome home’ banner sways mockingly in the air.

“Shit,” He mutters. He sits down on the couch, dropping his head into his hands.

He sits there for a while, crying to himself and letting waves of guilt wash over him. He doesn’t actually know how long he manages to sit there completely alone. He almost doesn’t register the hand that runs down his back in an attempt to comfort him, almost doesn’t notice the couch dip with the weight of another person sitting down beside him.

“Joshua? Are you okay?”

Seungcheol speaks so soft and sweet, and Joshua wants nothing more than to lean into his strong arms and allow himself to be comforted. But he can’t. He’s supposed to be their caretaker, and he’s done a dumb thing by falling in love with them.

“I don’t know.” He speaks, his breath catching in his throat as he does.

Seungheol moves so fluidly that Joshua doesn’t even notice that he’s getting onto his knees in front of him. He peels Joshua’s hands away from his face, letting them drop into his lap. He takes Joshua’s face into his hands, his fingers grazing Joshua’s skin and wiping away his tears.

“I’m sorry.” Joshua sobs.

Seungcheol shakes his head. “You have nothing to be sorry for. Jeonghan crossed a line. He pushed your boundaries too far, we should be the ones apologizing.”

“No,” Joshua whines, crying harder than he had been before. “I’m— I’m sorry. I love you both so much, and I’m not supposed to.”

Seungcheol doesn’t know how to respond to that, so he doesn’t say a thing. He just pulls Joshua off of the couch and gathers him into his lap.

Joshua digs his face into Seungcheol’s neck. “I’m not supposed to love you like this. I’m supposed to take care of you.”

“Joshua, please look at me.” He does, and he looks so guilty and remorseful that it makes Seungcheol want to just stop talking and show Joshua how just how much he loves him. But he doesn’t.

“I love you.” Seungcheol says. “I trust you with my life, Joshua. That’s not something that I do so easily, you should know that by now. We both love you in the same way that you love us, and we’ve been trying to tell you for so long.”

“But I—” Joshua starts, but Seungcheol cuts hims off.

“No. ‘But’ nothing. You get to be selfish once in a while. If Soonyoung and Mingyu can be together, what’s stopping you from being with me and Jeonghan?” He says.

Joshua sniffles, but he nods. Seungcheol smiles, and then he’s leaning in and brushing his lips against Joshua’s so lightly that Joshua wants to cry again.

“Is that how it happens in your dreams?” Joshua teases when he pulls back.

Seungcheol laughs, loud and deep and embarrassed.

“Of course not.” He leans down, nips at Joshua’s earlobe, and lowers his voice before speaking again. “In my dreams, you cage me against the wall and kiss me like you mean it.”

“Seungcheol!” Joshua cries out, his face turning red as he slaps Seungcheol’s arm.

Seungcheol laughs, pressing a chaste kiss to Joshua’s collarbone.

It amazes Joshua that Seungcheol reverts to being the most level headed member of their little family so easily. He calms Joshua down in a few minutes, despite the fact that just a few hours ago he wasn’t even sure that he’d be able to see this apartment ever again.

“My baby, Cheollie.” Joshua coos, wrapping his arms around Seungcheol’s neck. “Always taking care of me.”

Seungcheol hums in contentment. “I’m just returning the favour.” He says.

Joshua grins. He leans in for another kiss, their lips slotting together so naturally. There’s more force behind this kiss, less hesitation. Joshua takes the lead this time, his tongue slipping in between Seungcheol’s lips and making Seungcheol sigh.

“I can’t believe you would just leave me out like this.”

The voice makes them jump, Joshua’s heart pounding when he turns to see Jeonghan curled up on his favourite armchair, staring down at them with is arms crossed over his chest. Jeonghan pouts, fake and exaggerated, but it leaves his face as soon as Joshua blows a kiss in his direction. He catches it with a grin and shoves it into his pocket. Joshua rests his head on Seungcheol’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry I freaked you out earlier, baby. I love you.” Joshua says, and Jeonghan purrs.

“I love you too, Joshua. More than anything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's so sad to see this story starting to come to a close  
> but like get ready for the ever-promised fluffy bath time  
> more notes on twitter like always !!!!!!


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua drags Jeonghan and Seungcheol to a work party and Hansol gets a boyfriend

“You’ll look fine, Jeonghan.”

Jeonghan is holding up a white button down and bright blue slacks.

“I don’t want to look just fine, I have too make an impression. These are your coworkers.” Jeonghan says.

Joshua sighs and stands up, leaving Seungcheol’s grasp and eliciting a small whine from his throat that Joshua ignores completely. He places his hands on Jeonghan’s shoulders, a comforting smile widening on his face.

“And I can guarantee you that they’ll be showing up in jeans and t-shirts.” He brushes his lips over Jeonghan’s. “You will look great no matter what, okay?”

Jeonghan pouts, but he nods and starts to take the shirt off of the hanger.

Joshua returns to his seat in Seungcheol’s lap, and they watch Jeonghan remove his pyjamas and dress himself. Seungcheol’s thumbs rub circles into Joshua’s hips, and Joshua relaxes into his hold.

“Are you nervous?” Seungcheol asks.

“Why would I be nervous? They all know about you two.” Joshua says, letting out a sigh as he drops his head back onto Seungcheol’s shoulder.

“Well, yeah. But, do they know about, you know, _this_?”

Everything is kept quiet, low enough that Jeonghan can’t hear what they’re saying even with his superb hearing. Joshua turns to face Seungcheol, wearing the same comforting smile that he had earlier with Jeonghan. He brushes Seungcheol’s hair out of his face and leans in.

“I don’t care. All I want is to be happy with you and Jeonghan. I don’t care about what anyone else thinks.” Joshua whispers.

Seungcheol’s heart swells and his stomach starts to feel full of an emotion that he can’t quite pinpoint. He pulls Joshua forward by the collar of his shirt and smashes their lips together, an audible squeak leaving Joshua’s mouth, that soon turns into a giggle, as he falls.

Joshua has learned that Seungcheol kisses like it’s the last time he ever will. He throws himself into every kiss that he gives, no matter how soft or heated, and it makes Joshua fall even harder. His hands will graze Joshua’s back or curl up in his hair, where they’ll sometimes remain even after the kissing is over, coaxing Joshua to melt into every touch that he feels. Sometimes Jeonghan will join them, caressing Joshua’s arms and peppering kisses down his spine. They love him like they’ll never love anyone else, and Joshua supposes that he’ll never love anyone else either.

\-----

They arrive to Joshua’s dinner with all eyes on them, and suddenly Jeonghan is glad that he ditched the bright blue pants in exchange for light wash jeans. He can feel gazes burning into the back of his neck as they make their way to where Hansol and his boyfriend are standing.

“Josh!” Hansol grins. “You got your hybrids back!”

Hansol sounds almost as excited as Joshua had been, and it’s understandable. Joshua knows how annoying it must have been to hear him grovel and complain about being alone, but he’s glad that Hansol was so understanding about it, so he just smiles.

“I did. You never had the chance to meet them, did you?” Joshua says.

Hansol shakes his head. “Negative, Mr. Hong.” His hair is shaggy and it swishes with the movement of his head.

Joshua giggles, his hold on Jeonghan’s hand loosening. Jeonghan almost whines. He’s so wrapped up in Joshua’s conversation that he barely notices Hansol’s boyfriend staring at him. The little thing with blonde hair and a clenched jaw. He hangs on to Hansol’s waist with a tightness that’s almost possessive, his eyes unfocused and distant.

Jeonghan is almost terrified of this man.

“This is Seungcheol,” Joshua says, grinning up at Seungcheol with such a fond expression that Jeonghan is a little shocked. And then, he places his hand on the small of Jeonghan’s back. “And this is Jeonghan.”

“It’s nice to meet you both. This is my boyfriend, Jihoon.” Hansol says. He wraps his arm around Jihoon’s waist as he does so. Jihoon gives them a tight-lipped smile and a polite nod. It’s then that Jeonghan realizes that Jihoon is gripping Hansol’s waist so tightly because he’s shy.

Jeonghan soon finds himself in the same position as Jihoon; letting his mind wander while Joshua and Hansol talk about work and other mundane things. He watches Jihoon in return, and observes the way that he digs his chin into Hansol’s shoulder and closes his eyes, almost as if Hansol’s presence alone relaxes him. It’s cute. Jeonghan kind of wants to do the same. He wants to rip off his skinny jeans and curl up on his favourite arm chair. Instead, he buries his nose in Joshua’s hair and allows his mind to be filled with Joshua’s scent.

“We don’t have to stay for too long, okay? Whenever you’re ready to go, you just tell me.” Joshua mutters, and Jeonghan realizes that he hadn’t even noticed Hansol and Jihoon walk away.

Jeonghan scoffs. “As if. I didn’t spend hours putting together the perfect outfit just to leave right away.” He says. The ‘I actually do want to leave soon, but I don’t want to seem rude’ isn’t said, but Joshua’s sympathetic nod lets Jeonghan know that he understands it all the same.

“Sure, baby.” Joshua says. He leans over and kisses Jeonghan’s cheek, and Jeonghan can feel the tips of his ears turning red. He’s incredibly grateful for his still somewhat long hair.

Jeonghan lets Joshua hold him for a minute, just revelling in the feeling of Joshua’s arms around his body, the way that everything seems to feel so much easier just because Joshua is there.

“Where’s Cheol?” Jeonghan asks, becoming curious when he doesn’t hear the expected whining that Seungcheol will let out when he’s been left out for too long.

“Mingling.” Joshua says with a sigh. It’s a good sigh; one that means he’s proud of Seungcheol, and maybe even happy to be able to spend a minute alone with Jeonghan.

Joshua turns so that he can face Jeonghan entirely. He places his hands on Jeonghan’s waist, and Jeonghan almost forgets that they’re standing in the middle of some sort of mock gala.

“I hope you don’t mind that I invited Hansol and Jihoon over for dinner next week. I know how territorial you can get.” Joshua says. He squeezes Jeonghan’s hip ever so slightly, so that Jeonghan will know that he’s just teasing.

“Me? Territorial? Please.” Jeonghan says.

Joshua giggles. Jeonghan would do absolutely anything to hear that sound more often. Their home life, as of late, has been less than content. The rooms are filled with the sound of Joshua sighing or groaning, being so overloaded with the work that he put off during the few weeks that Jeonghan and Seungcheol weren’t with him.

“Hey, Joshua,” Jeonghan mumbles, his voice adopting a more serious tone.

“Yeah?” He answers.

“I’m really happy that Cheol and I are here with you.” Jeonghan says.

He knows that Joshua understands the underlying message of this line, too. He understands that Jeonghan means more than just here and now, in this very place, at this very second, standing in the middle of a lame work party in similarly uncomfortable pants.

“I know, baby. I’m so happy that you’re both with me, too.” Joshua says with a grin. It’s the first real, genuine grin that Jeonghan has seen on Joshua’s face in a long time.

\-----

Bursting across the dance floor at his boyfriend’s work party during a slow song isn’t one of Seungcheol’s proudest moments. Especially when the lights have been dimmed so low that he can barely see his own feet, much less make out exactly where Jeonghan and Joshua are dancing.

When he finds them, it feels like the weight of the world has been lifted from his shoulders.

“Joshua,” He lets out in between panicked pants of breath. It’s a little bit louder than he intended, and the people surrounding them turn and glare in his direction.

“What? What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” Joshua asks. 

“We have to leave.” He says, grabbing Jeonghan and Joshua by the wrists and dragging them towards the exit.

“Wha- Seungcheol, what’s going on?” Joshua says.

Jeonghan rips his arm from Seungcheol’s tight hold, rubbing the spots where Seungcheol’s fingers had been putting the most pressure. He whimpers.

“Joshua, please,” He takes Joshua’s face in his hands, as if to emphasize how serious he is. “We have to get Jeonghan out of here. Now. That guy in the dark red suit is one of Jeonghan’s old owners. We have to go.”

Dread fills Joshua’s face. He remembers the stories, or, what little of them he actually heard before Jeonghan would leave the room and Seungcheol would chase after him. He remembers the detailed retelling of the abuse that Jeonghan went through and what lengths he had to go through to escape, and his dread is amplified when he sees who exactly the man in the dark red suit is.

“Okay. Go get in the car and lock the doors. Call Soonyoung and don’t hang up until I come get you.” Joshua passes his keys and his phone to Seungcheol, and this work dinner suddenly becomes something straight out of one of Soonyoung’s favourite dramas.

“Wait, where are you going?” Seungcheol asks.

Joshua’s face hardens. “I’m going to go say goodbye to my boss and tell him that the shade of red he’s wearing really compliments his skin tone. _Go._ ” He says.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me last part: no more drama don't worry  
> Me this part: drama was my favourite elective in high school


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeonghan gets his own backstory

Jeonghan’s past isn’t pretty. He was a hybrid that had been bred as a pet to be pampered and shown, not as a slave to his owner’s desires. And yet, that was the fate that he was face with. Jonghyun Kim was the CEO of the largest publishing company in the entire country, a position in business that also taught him to be the most ruthless. His personality was hardened, he was a cold blooded being without a loving bone in his body.

He had made so many attempts at love, all that had failed miserably, adding to the cold that ran through his body. Someone so arrogant and stubborn should have never been granted the gift of companionship, especially not that of such a gentle and caring being as Jeonghan had been in the past.

Jeonghan was beautiful, the most beautiful thing Jonghyun had laid his eyes on in years. His hair was long and soft, falling just below beautifully prominent clavicles. He was dressed in loose white linen, complimenting his soft, fair skin.

It was autumn. Jeonghan stood smiling on Jonghyun’s front steps while orange and yellow leaves fell behind him.

Being owned was so different from what Jeonghan was expecting. He expected lavish luxury, he expected to be treated like a prince, he had been raise to be treated like a prince. His long hair that he hoped would be brushed every day grew to the bottom of his rib cage before Jonghyun sliced it off with a knife one day as a punishment. Jeonghan had never cried harder.

He was treated like a slave, expected to cook and clean and comply with Jonghyun’s every wish and desire. He faced punishment for the smallest things, not being able to go through a single day without acquiring at least two bruises. To Jonghyun, he was nothing but an animal, he was inferior. He was nothing but a mutt that was only half a human, therefore half as respectable as Jonghyun himself.

That was how Seungcheol met Jeonghan; crying in an alleyway, some of his hair grazing his chin, some not even reaching the tips of his ears.

“I ran away.” Jeonghan said. He repeated it to himself like a mantra, until his tears of shock turned into tears of joy.

\-----

The knock on the car window scares both of them, Jeonghan jumping almost entirely into Seungcheol’s lap. Joshua presses his face up to the glass and Seungcheol scrambles for the key. He manages to unlock the front door within seconds, and Joshua slips in with practiced ease. He clicks the locks shut as soon as his door is shut behind him.

In the rear view mirror, he catches a glare of tears on Jeonghan’s cheeks. Pain shoots through his heart at the thought of how scared Jeonghan must have been. He turns around in his seat and places a hand on Jeonghan’s knee.

“You’re okay. You’re safe here with me. I’ll protect you.” Joshua comforts him. Jeonghan nods. “Buckle up. We’ll be home before you know it.”

By the time they reach their home, Jeonghan is passed out in his seat, his hand still held tightly in Seungcheol’s.

Seungcheol carries him into the elevator and into their apartment. He lays Jeonghan on their bed, leaving him with a kiss on the forehead, before he turns back to Joshua.

“I was so scared, Joshua.” He says, collapsing into Joshua’s open arms.

“I know, baby. So was I.” Joshua mutters into Seungcheol’s hair. Joshua holds Seungcheol for as long as Seungcheol wants to be held, but it doesn’t take long for Seungcheol to return to Jeonghan’s side.

“What did you say to him?” Seungcheol asks.

Joshua sighs. He crawls onto the bed, wrapping his arms around Jeonghan’s waist and coaxing Seungcheol onto the bed as well. Seungcheol abandons his usual position of lying beside Joshua in favour of curling into Jeonghan’s side.

“Nothing. I told him that I was feeling a little under the weather and that I wanted to get some rest so that I would be better for work on Tuesday. He asked about you two, and I told him that I had left you at home without ever mentioning your names.” Joshua explains.

Seungcheol buries his face in Jeonghan’s hair. “Do you have to keep working for him?” He asks.

Joshua sighs again. “I wish I could say no, but it’s not that simple. If I worked freelance, I wouldn’t be able to provide for the three of us. We would have to rely on Soonyoung so much more than we already do, and that’s not fair to him. And, Jonghyun is actually quite a powerful man. He knows everything about anyone that could possibly be a threat to his success.”

“But,” Seungcheol hesitates, clearly not understanding something. “He runs a _publishing company_.”

“Yes, he does. There’s a lot of power in publishing books, baby. And I’m one of his top editors, he wouldn’t let me leave so easily or without a reason.” Joshua says.

Seungcheol whimpers. “I just want you to be safe.” He says.

Joshua nods. “I know, baby. And I will be. I’m the one that’s supposed to protect you, remember?”

\-----

Joshua wakes up on a Friday to the sound of giggling, and he wakes to the sight of Jeonghan hovering over Seungcheol’s body. Jeonghan leans down and nips at Seungcheol’s nose, eliciting the prettiest giggle that Joshua has ever heard come from Seungcheol’s lips. Jeonghan captures Seungcheol’s lips between his own and Joshua can’t find it in himself to look away. He’s so entranced by the chemistry that flows between the two, the way that they become completely enthralled in each others motions.

Seungcheol moans and Joshua bites his lip. His eyes trail to Seungcheol’s eyes and back down to his lips, loose with silent pleasure. Jeonghan nibbles at Seungcheol’s collarbones, and Seungcheol’s eyes slip shut. Joshua keeps watching. He watches their unabashed display of love without a single regret in his body.

Seungcheol moans again and Jeonghan looks over at Jeonghan, catching his gaze with a smug look on his face. Joshua’s face turns red and his jaw goes slack. Jeonghan places his lips near the base of Seungcheol’s neck and licks all the way up to his chin, keeping eye contact with Joshua the entire time.

Joshua’s face burns and he turns the other way, shutting his eyes and urging himself back to sleep. He doesn’t expect to feel arms around his waist and lips on the nape of his neck.

“Aw, Joshua. Are you feeling left out?” It’s Jeonghan. He noses at Joshua’s neck and Joshua shivers.

“No,” Joshua mutters, still feeling flushed and flustered.

Seungcheol giggles again, and the sound makes Joshua want to turn around so badly, it sounds so sweet. Jeonghan reaches over and takes the collar of Joshua’s sleep shirt into his hand, flipping him onto his back. In actuality, his sleep shirt is really one of Seungcheol’s button ups, and Jeonghan starts to unbutton it with a smile on his face.

“Jeonghan,” Joshua whines, batting at his hands.

Jeonghan grips his shirt tighter, leaning down and resting his forehead on top of Joshua’s. His hair forms a short curtain between the two of them and Seungcheol. Jeonghan gives him a bright smile and then places a chaste kiss on his lips.

“Can we have pancakes for breakfast?” He asks.

Joshua laughs, a wholehearted laugh that forces his eyes shut and makes his belly ache.

“Of course we can, baby.” Joshua says.

He leans up and kisses Jeonghan. Jeonghan lets out a little cheer, flopping back onto the bed and snuggling up to Seungcheol. Joshua splays out across their stomachs.

“Just let me sleep for a little bit longer.” He says. His head is tucked snugly into the crook of Seungcheol’s elbow.

Seungcheol giggles for the nth time, and Joshua’s heart swells.

“Love you.” Joshua says, kissing Seungcheol’s arm.

Jeonghan drapes an arm across his waist. “Love you, Joshua. So much.” He says. Joshua smiles and nods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua quits his job and Taehyung comes back

Hansol’s jaw is dropped to the ground in shock. He’s joined by three of his other coworkers, all who love and respect Joshua more than they do their CEO.

“But you can’t leave, you’re the head editor.” Hansol says. He’s completely appalled.

“I have to. If I ever want to get beyond where I am right now, I have to leave.” Joshua explains. It’s a lie, but only Hansol knows that.

“You love it here.”

Hansol is arguing. He wants Joshua to stay, even though he knows it’s selfish of him. He’s not thinking about how uncomfortable it might make Jeonghan to know that Joshua works for his abusive ex-owner. He doesn’t even think about how uncomfortable it would make Joshua to support someone that he knows such dark secrets about.

“Hansol, please. I really can’t stay.” Joshua says. He’s putting his foot down, speaking more firmly. Hansol doesn’t know every fine detail of Jonghyun’s abusive behaviour. He doesn’t understand that Joshua’s leaving because he can’t think of any other outcome of their next meeting than his fist connecting with Jonghyun’s face. He’s never considered himself to be much of a violent person, but the thought of beating Jonghyun to a pulp as revenge brings him so much relief.

Hansol pouts, but he doesn’t say anything else. He nods his head and shuffles forward until his forehead hits Joshua’s chest. Joshua chuckles and wraps his arms around Hansol’s shoulders.

“You’ll still see me, goof. I’m your best friend, if you haven’t forgotten.” Joshua says, rubbing at Hansol’s back.

“I like Jihoon better.” He says.

“Yeah, he’s your boyfriend. I’m still your best friend, though. I don’t care if you like your boyfriend better than me.” Joshua says.

\-----

Joshua meant it when he said that freelancing was a bad idea, but in his haste to quit Jonghyun’s company, he forgot how long the process of finding a new employer could be. He’s never liked mixing his work with his personal life, restricting the amount of work he brought home every day when he still worked in an office. Now, his own room is his office and he’s locking himself inside with his laptop for hours while Jeonghan and Seungcheol sit in the living room, waiting for him to give himself a break.

The worst thing about working freelance is that Joshua doesn’t know when to stop. He doesn’t have to clock out, he doesn’t have to end his work day, and some days he doesn’t. He’ll work late into the night, resisting Jeonghan’s coaxing and not leaving his desk until Seungcheol shoves his head through his pyjamas and drags him to bed.

He breaks down on a Sunday in Seungcheol’s arms, after taking on five new clients in two days just to be able to pay his portion of the rent. He’s tired and he just wants to stop the clock and live freely.

“Just take a break.” Seungcheol prompts him.

Joshua shakes his head. “I can’t. God, leaving the company was the dumbest thing I’ve ever done.” He says, digging his face into Seungcheol’s neck.

“No, I think adopting two hybrids was the dumbest thing you’ve ever done.”

“Stop it.” Joshua says. “This isn’t your fault.”

“It is, though; when you really think about it. If it weren’t for me and Jeonghan you’d still have a job, you’d have enough money to lease a bigger apartment and have it all to yourself. You wouldn’t be feeling so shitty right now.” Seungcheol says.

“Why would I want that? I’m happier now with you both in my life than I ever was before I met you. I don’t care about having a job or having a big apartment, I just want to be able to provide for you and Jeonghan. I want to know that I’ll have an income that’s stable enough to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads. I don’t want to have to rely on anyone else for help, because I signed papers that said I could take care of you.” Joshua says.

There are tears streaming down his face, and Joshua curses the day he became so emotionally vulnerable around Seungcheol.

Seungcheol’s arms tighten around him, bringing Joshua’s head to his chest. The front of his shirt becomes damp almost instantly, but Joshua can’t find it in himself to apologize. Seungcheol still uses the same body wash that he did when he first started living with Joshua, and the scent is just as calming as it’s always been.

For the first time in a while, Seungcheol doesn’t know what to say to comfort him.

\-----

Hansol shows up exactly a week later, laptop and coffee in hand.

“Seungcheol told me you were in need of some help.” He says, pushing his way inside and leaving Joshua frozen in the doorway.

Joshua comes to his senses when Hansol places his laptop on the kitchen counter with a loud ‘thunk.’ He slams the door shut and whisks Hansol up to Seungcheol and Jeonghan’s bedroom, knowing fully well that the two hybrids are currently occupying his.

“You have a job.” Joshua says.

“Nope,” Hansol grins. “I quit.”

Joshua’s jaw drops to the ground and he has to stop himself from ripping all of his hair out in frustration. But he can’t stop himself from yelling, “What the fuck? What the actual fuck?”

When Hansol doesn’t say anything else, Joshua continues in what is a more thoroughly thought out version of what he meant to say before.

“You can’t work for me, Hansol. One, I can’t pay you. Two, I don’t have anywhere for you to work. Three, even if I wanted to I couldn’t start my own company. I’m an editor, I don’t know anything about publishing or running a business.” He says.

Hansol doesn’t seem phased by it in the slightest. “But, I know people that do. And they’d be totally willing to help.”

Joshua sighs, settling onto Seungcheol’s bed.

“Hansol,” He starts, but he doesn’t know how to finish. There’s something inside of him that’s feels so incredibly grateful to have a friend like Hansol, but he’s mostly telling himself to scold Hansol for doing something so impulsive and ridiculous.

“I know, it was a stupid thing to do. But I really believe in you, Josh. And I know that Seungcheol and Jeonghan really believe in you too.”

Hansol stares down at his hands, refusing to look Joshua in the eyes. Joshua sighs again.

“I guess we could give it a shot.”

\-----

“Taehyung Kim,”

His head shoots up, staring at the doorway where the voice is coming from.

“Please, follow me.”

He does as he’s told without a second thought. He doesn’t have much reason not to, the people at the shelter have all been nice to him, taking him to have his hair colour touched up whenever his roots start to get a little too long, letting him eat however much he wants at meals. They could ask him to sell his body and he would do it without hesitation. Well, maybe he wouldn’t go that far, but they’ve treated him well enough that he’d consider it.

The walls change as they walk through the maze-esque halls of the shelter. They go from the white, clinical tile of the hybrid habitat, to the carpeted walls of the offices. The shelter employee leads him into one of the office rooms, and he catches the words ‘adoption centre’ written across the door.

“Take a seat,” He’s instructed.

Taehyung sits, even though every instinct that he has is telling him not to.

The adoption centre is different from every other part of the shelter that he’s seen. The tables are dark stained, glazed wood that looks like it would’ve paid for a year’s worth of food out on the streets. The chairs are cushioned, and they’re more comfortable than Taehyung would like to admit.

“Hi, Taehyung.” He hears from behind him. His ears perk up at the sweet sound of Jimin’s voice.

“Jimin,” He cheers, turning around and beaming at him.

He watches Jimin cross the room and take the seat beside him. He crosses his legs in that ‘I’m nervous but don’t want to show it’ way that he always does when one of the higher ups yells at him for treating Taehyung better than all the other hybrids in the shelter.

It takes Taehyung a little bit by surprise when he sees a group of men file into the room, dressed in suits and carrying briefcases.

“Jimin, what’s going on?” He asks. He curls his tail around his waist, grabbing the end in his hand.

Jimin offers him a comforting smile and he rests his hand on Taehyung’s knee.

“I’m adopting you, Taehyungie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote half of this while waiting for my hair dye to process


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua deals with a problem

There are two pairs of lips peppering Joshua’s skin in kisses before he’s even coherent enough to realize what’s going on. Seungcheol and Jeonghan have taken to waking Joshua up in the sweetest ways they could think of, after noticing how much of a toll his mental health had been taking.

“Shua,” Jeonghan coos into his ear. His tail runs up the inside of Joshua’s clothed thigh, earning a whine.

“Shua, it’s time to wake up.” Seungcheol says it this time, so softly that it sends tingles from Joshua’s head right to his feet.

Joshua whines and turns onto his side to curl into Seungcheol’s chest. Seungcheol digs his nose into Joshua’s hair, and Joshua feels his chest expand as he takes a deep breath in, letting Joshua’s scent wash over his senses. It’s warm and it makes him want to stay in bed forever.

“Early,” Joshua mutters, the vibrations of the word resonating throughout Seungcheol’s chest.

Jeonghan giggles. “Our precious Shua,” He says, curling a hand around Joshua’s waist and burying his face into the back of Joshua’s neck.

“It’s the weekend, baby. Please.” Joshua says, purposely forgetting about the load of work that’s been piling up on his desk all week.

Seungcheol runs a hand over Joshua’s side. “As long as you promise to not kill us later for letting you sleep in.” He says.

Joshua nods, his forehead rubbing against Seungcheol’s bare chest. He presses a kiss to the centre of Seungcheol’s chest. It leaves a tinge of Joshua’s sweet scent on Seungcheol’s skin, and Seungcheol’s stomach goes warm.

They sleep wrapped around one another, turning into a tangle of extremities and limbs by the time Soonyoung knocks on the door at noon. He opens the door and then closes it again, upon seeing how peaceful his best friend looks while asleep. They don’t wake up until well past 3 in the afternoon.

\-----

“I can do this, right? He’s legally under my care so I have the right to do this?”

The lawyer nods. Joshua’s not sure why he thought a restraining order would be so easy. It has to be taken to court, and they might have to face Jonghyun one last time, and he has to renew it every year until he’s sure Jeonghan’s safe. And he isn’t sure that Jeonghan will truly be safe until Jonghyun is dead, which could take another 40 years at the very least.

“Just one last signature and we can send it in.” The lawyer says. Her face is stoic, and it leaves an unsettled feeling in Joshua’s stomach.

“You’re sure that this will keep Jeonghan safe?” Joshua asks one last time, pen hovering above the paper, clutched between white knuckles.

“Yes, Mr. Hong.” The lawyer says.

Joshua nods hesitantly and scribbles his signature down along the line, barely even looking. As soon as the signature is down, he lets out a breath that he didn’t even know he had been holding. This whole situation has taken a toll on him, mentally and physically, and he wants nothing more than to just be back in bed, sandwiched in between Jeonghan and Seungcheol. He doesn’t even notice the lawyer packing up her things or putting the papers in an envelope to send off, he just tugs on his jacket and turns his phone back on.

_9:12am_  
From: Soonyoung  
where are you? 

_9:20am_  
From: Soonyoung  
jeonghan is worried and seungcheol can’t calm him down  
I keep telling them you’ll be back soon… 

_10:03am_  
To: Soonyoung  
was dealing with things at the lawyer’s  
heading back now though 

Joshua gnaws at his lip, phone burning in his pocket for the entire ride home. It isn’t until he’s finally stepped through the front door of his apartment that he relaxes, his shoulders dropping from where they had been shoved up practically to his ears. The sound of his keys dropping onto their entryway table sends Jeonghan and Seungcheol flying into the living room.

“Joshua,” Jeonghan gasps out, barreling into his side. Joshua staggers, grabbing at the wall to steady himself.

“Hey, baby.” Joshua lets out, pressing his lips to the top of Jeonghan’s head and just staying there, letting the scent of Jeonghan’s vanilla shampoo overwhelm his senses and calm his mind.

“I thought he got you.” Jeonghan says. Joshua knows who the he is, and he can’t help the guilt that settles in his stomach.

Joshua laces his fingers through Jeonghan’s hair, burying his nose in it and clenching his eyes shut to try and stop himself from crying. “You don’t have to worry about him anymore. I dealt with it.” He says.

He watches the colour drain from Seungcheol’s face from his place a few steps away from the two.

“What do you mean you dealt with it?” Seungcheol asks, the horror evident in his voice.

Joshua opens an arm, coaxing Seungcheol into his hold. Seungcheol falls into it warily but easily. “Relax,” Joshua says, kissing Seungcheol’s forehead as well. “I didn’t hunt him down or anything. I just filed a restraining order for Jeonghan. You don’t have to worry anymore.”

“That’s it? It’s that easy?” Seungcheol asks.

Joshua hesitates. “Well, no. If It’s appealed, we might have to see him in court, but don’t worry about that. Jeonghan will be the most protected of all of us.” He says.

Jeonghan shakes his head. “What about you? Who’s gonna protect you?”

Joshua doesn’t say anything, he just smiles and hugs them tighter.

“How about we get back in bed? I’ve been signing papers all morning. It’s more work than it sounds.” He suggests.

Seungcheol nods, taking Joshua’s hand in his and leading him towards their bedroom, a suggestive glint in his eyes. Joshua’s cheeks start to burn under the heat of Seungcheol’s gaze. Jeonghan starts to unbutton Joshua’s dress shirt, nipping at his skin as it becomes more exposed.

“I really did just mean cuddling and napping,” Joshua breathes out when Jeonghan pushes him down on the bed.

Jeonghan giggles, shaking his head and starting to undo the fastenings of Joshua’s belt. Seungcheol follows, shutting the door behind him and crawling onto the bed, turning Joshua’s head and pulling him into a kiss. They fall into a mess of giggles and kisses that last well into the afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's short I really have to try and get back into my flow of writing often and putting out decent stuff  
> I probably could've made it longer if I talked more about jimin/taehyung or soonyoung/mingyu but I felt like this chapter needed to focus on jeongcheolsoo


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas and New Year's celebrations all packed into one chapter

Joshua is startled awake, Jeonghan’s fingers prodding at his sides and Seungcheol shaking his shoulders as they both yell his name. He can even hear Soonyoung and Mingyu in the mix, somewhere in the distance.

“Where’s the fire?” He groans, batting at Jeonghan’s hands.

Mingyu giggles. “No fire, just Christmas.” He says.

“Is it not still the 24th?” He asks. Jeonghan’s fingers have long since stopped poking, and now his head is resting on Joshua’s chest.

“It is,” Soonyoung says. “But, Hansol invited us to a Christmas eve party and we have some baking to do.”

Joshua groans again. “We have some baking to do, or _I_ have some baking to do?” He asks. He doesn’t even have to look to know that Soonyoung is grinning sheepishly at him as he shuts the door, leaving Joshua alone with Seungcheol and Jeonghan.

“You can stay in bed a little bit longer. You’ve been working hard.” Seungcheol says, pushing Joshua’s hair away from his face and kissing his forehead.

Joshua rests a hand in Seungcheol’s hair, connecting their lips before he can pull away too far.

“It’s fine. I should get up anyway.” He says, but he makes no effort to move. Jeonghan giggles.

Seungcheol laughs, curling an arm around his waist and settling down on the bed at Joshua’s side. “Go back to sleep. I’ll wake you up at 11.” He says, and Joshua is out like a light.

\-----

“Jeonghan, no.”

Jeonghan stops, hand inches away from the mouth of the mixing bowl. His fingers twitch in anticipation. “Jeonghan, yes.” He whines.

“If you touch anything, you won’t get any presents. I’ll give them all to Cheol.” Joshua says.

Jeonghan whimpers and retracts his hand, even though he knows that Joshua is making empty threats. Joshua would never dare stop himself from spoiling both of his hybrids. He decides, instead, that Joshua looks more appealing than the brownie batter that he was about to indulge in, and trudges over to where Joshua is standing.

“Jeonghan,” Joshua says, his voice a warning.

“I wasn’t gonna do anything.” Jeonghan says, wrapping his arms around Joshua’s waist and sticking himself to his back like a parasite.

“You’re doing something right now.” Joshua says.

Jeonghan just smiles and stays where he is, breathing down the back of Joshua’s neck and sending shivers up his spine. Joshua can feel the warmth spread through his entire body like thick molasses. It covers his skin and invades his limbs, and he knows it's more than just puppy love that he's feeling. Seungcheol joins them soon enough, settling himself against the counter as he watches.

"Seungcheol," Jeonghan coos, detaching a hand from Joshua's waist to reach in Seungcheol's direction.

Seungcheol takes it and allows himself to be dragged closer. Jeonghan takes Seungcheol's hand and places it on Joshua's hip. "He's been working too hard, he's lost some weight. We should take better care of him."

Jeonghan drags his lips down the side of Joshua's neck.

"Baby, I'm busy." Joshua insists, though he doesn't move. Jeonghan places a kiss onto the nape of Joshua's neck, letting out a purr.

Seungcheol reaches around, taking the wooden spoon out of Joshua's hand an placing it delicately into the mixing bowl. He'd been enjoying watching the way that Joshua's muscles flexed as he mixed his cookie dough, but Joshua's arms around his body would be so much more enjoyable. It doesn't take long for him to connect their lips, turning Joshua's head to the side so that he can indulge fully in the sweetness of his tongue and his mouth.

"I have to finish baking." Joshua mumbles against Seungcheol's lips. Seungcheol just kisses him harder.

"You can finish later. Let us take care of you first."

\-----

"Merry Christmas!"

Hansol opens the door, letting the five into a warm house that smells like vanilla and gingerbread. Jihoon is sitting on the couch with a glass of wine in his hand as he flicks through songs on his phone. He's hooked up to Hansol's big Bluetooth speaker, courtesy of rich but emotionally distant parents. Joshua supposes that the whole house is courtesy of that, modern architecture that's centred around a fireplace that's burning wood and casting a golden glow over the living room chairs.

Joshua leans over and whispers into Hansol's ear, "I hope you don't mind that I invited someone else? One of the employees from the shelter that helped me when Jeonghan and Seungcheol were stuck in there. He adopted a hybrid and doesn't have anyone else to celebrate the holidays with."

Hansol grins. "That's fine, Josh. I trust your character judgement more than my own; I love Seungcheol and Jeonghan." He says.

They watch Seungcheol and Jeonghan place containers of baked goods on Hansol's kitchen counter, warmth rising up Joshua's face when he remembers that, when everything is said and done, they love him and only him.

"Hansol," Jihoon calls from the couch, and Hansol is abandoning Joshua's side in an instant.

He watches them, observes the way that they act like brand new lovers, despite having lived together for a few months now. Knowing that Hansol is in good hands, and watching as Seungcheol and Jeonghan laugh with Soonyoung, makes him feel wholly complete. Seungcheol catches him staring and a blush starts to creep up his cheeks as he's waved over to where they're standing.

"Merry Christmas, Shua." Seungcheol says, wrapping his arms around Joshua's waist.

"Merry Christmas, baby." He replies. Seungcheol captures his lips in a chaste kiss, to which Joshua's cheeks burn even hotter.

Seungcheol rests his head on Joshua's shoulder, bringing Joshua's arms to his hips. They sway to Jihoon's selection of Christmas tunes for a blissful, quiet second, before Jeonghan's giggling and the doorbell ringing bring them back to reality.

"Merry Christmas!" He hears Taehyung's cheery voice shout from the doorway. Jimin follows him in shyly, and it reminds Joshua that they're walking into a rook full of strangers.

"Jimin!" Jeonghan cheers, running over and whisking Jimin up into his arms. "Let me introduce you to my friends."

Joshua thinks that it's a holiday well spent, surrounded by his two lovers and his best friends. There's nowhere else he'd rather be.

\-----

"New Year's resolutions. Go." Jeonghan calls out to no one in particular. They're sitting in the living room, Soonyoung, Mingyu, Joshua, Seungcheol, and Jeonghan all crowded onto one couch and Jihoon and Hansol crowded onto what is usually Jeonghan's living chair of choice. It's not incredibly comfortable, but it's exactly what Joshua and Hansol need after a long day of work; quality time with their chosen family.

"Successfully capture a squirrel." Seungcheol says.

Jeonghan scoffs. "That's such a dog hybrid thing for you to say." He says.

"I'm a dog hybrid, I really don't know what else you were expecting." Seungcheol replies, to which Mingyu laughs in agreement, wolf ears twitching atop his head.

"Anybody else? I'm begging you, please." Jeonghan giggles.

Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve plays on the TV in front of them, but it's long since been drowned out by conversation.

"Hansol and I are going to try and get an actual office in the new year so that we can stop working from this apartment and can start hiring employees." Joshua lets out, feeling a weight rise off of his chest. "It'll be in a hybrid friendly building, of course."

Seungcheol rests a hand on Joshua's knee, rubbing calming circles into his flesh as if to say _I'm proud of you._

"If you're hiring employees does that mean you'll start working within reasonable hours?" Jeonghan is the one that says it, but everyone else is thinking the same thing.

Soonyoung hasn't seen much of his best friend since he started working ridiculous times to try and prove to Hansol's parents, who had given Hansol and Joshua an incredible amount of money to help start their new business, that their investment and their son's university degree weren't going to waste,

Hansol nods, and both Jihoon and Jeonghan cheer. Jihoon settles back onto his boyfriend's chest, the lap of whom he is currently situated on. Joshua watches as Hansol pecks Jihoon's cheek, almost as if it's become second nature to. Joshua thinks they've been together long enough that it probably has.

"I will never forgive you for how many kisses I've missed out on because of those stupid work hours." Jeonghan grumbles into Joshua's ear. And then, contrary to his own words, he nips at Joshua's ear lobe and cuddles into his side.

"I guess I better make it up to you, huh?" Joshua suggests, brushing a hand through Jeonghan's relatively short hair.

"And Cheol," He adds, his eyes slipping shut as he starts to feel what little amount of alcohol he consumed starting to kick in.

"Of course. I'll make it up to both of my babies." Joshua chuckles. He reaches over and takes Seungcheol's hand into his free one, rubbing his thumb over the back as Seungcheol continues to talk to Mingyu about the delights of chasing wild animals in their local park.

"You better," Jeonghan mutters as he starts to doze off. On the TV, the countdown to the new year begins, and Joshua couldn't agree more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhhhhh so like I lowkey forgot that it was my baby Joshua's birthday until 5 minutes ago when I checked twitter for the first time in 3 days so hello love u joshua stans sorry I forgot to write abt his birthday even tho it's literally the day before new years eve and I wrote about new years eve aha


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluffy bath time is back, Seungcheol and Jeonghan bring up some of their hybrid baseline urges.

“Joshua,” Jeonghan cries out in his sleep.

It’s the middle of the night, Seungcheol and Joshua are lying awake on their bed, talking mindlessly and holding each other close while Jeonghan snores beside them. It rouses the peaceful atmosphere that they’ve set up.

“I’m here, baby. What’s wrong?” Joshua says, turning and shaking Jeonghan awake. Or, attempting to shake him awake. Jeonghan grabs onto Joshua’s arm and sobs, still very much asleep. It isn’t until both Joshua and Seungcheol start whispering terms of endearment into his ears and stroking his hair—Seungcheol clambering over both of them in order to do so—that he finally wakes up.

“Joshua?” Jeonghan gasps out, seeing only Seungcheol hovering over him.

“He’s here, kitty. We’re both here.” Seungcheol says, wrapping an arm around his waist and burying his face into Jeonghan’s hair.

Joshua places a tentative hand on Jeonghan’s cheek, wiping away his tears and hating the way that Jeonghan flinches under his touch. “It’s just me, baby. Tell me what’s wrong.” He says.

“It felt so real.” Jeonghan sniffles. “He was here, and he was taking me away from you. I didn’t want to go back and I kept telling him but he wouldn’t listen.”

“Oh–“ Joshua lets out, pressing his lips to Jeonghan’s forehead. “That will never happen, baby. I won’t let it. You and Seungcheol are stuck with me for the rest of our lives.”

Jeonghan sniffles again and nods, melting under Joshua’s touch.

“Why don’t I run a bath? It’s been a while since we’ve all bathed together, huh?” Joshua suggests.

Jeonghan shakes his head. “’S late.” He says.

“Nope,” Joshua says, rolling out of bed. “My baby deserves a nice, warm bath.”

Jeonghan giggles as Joshua makes his way towards the bathroom, not bothering to stop him this time. Seungcheol follows Joshua soon after, with Jeonghan gathered up in his arms, resting his head on Seungcheol’s shoulder and laughing as he’s placed down on the counter.

It takes some time for the bath to fill up with warm water, but they spend that time productively, Joshua and Seungcheol covering Jeonghan’s skin in kisses while Jeonghan squirms and laughs. The bath fills the room with warmth and the comforting scent of Joshua’s favourite bath oils, and soon Jeonghan has forgotten all about his nightmare.

\-----

Hansol practically skips into their new office, still void of anything except for the cheap, almost-broken desks that they’d picked up from a second hand store. Joshua looks up as soon as he hears Hansol’s footsteps on the hardwood floors, his old chair creaking as he leans away from his computer.

“So, I just had a meeting with our accountant,” Hansol says.

Joshua sits quiet, waiting for Hansol to finish. He doesn’t. Instead, he stands there with a knowing smirk on his face and his hands hidden behind his back.

“And?” Joshua eggs him on, closing his laptop so that he can look at Hansol properly.

Hansol throws a folder down onto his desk. “Our projected finances for the rest of the year. If we keep going at the rate that we are, we’ll be able to afford to hire another employee, which means we’ll be able to take on more clients. And, if we start building up a proper managerial team, we’ll be able to start meeting with investors.” Hansol says.

“You got all of that just from talking to your dad?” Joshua asks skeptically.

Hansol huffs. “Well, no. I talked to my mom, too.”

Hansol’s rich, tycoon parents, had been all too glad to see their son follow in their footsteps of opening up a business around something that he was passionate about, and had offered an overwhelming amount of support and resources. Probably based on the same passive-parent guilt that had funded Hansol’s giant apartment.

“So, we’re finally getting somewhere, eh?” Joshua says, a proud smile spreading over his face.

“Yup,” Hansol says, equally as proud.

“You’ll finally be able to afford that ring.” Joshua teases.

Hansol chokes. “How did you know about that?” He says. Joshua laughs.

“Hansol, you talk in your sleep. I’ve come to the office so many times to you sleeping at your desk and talking about how eager you are to propose to Jihoon.” Joshua says.

Hansol’s entire face turns as red as the sweater he’s wearing.

\-----

By the time Joshua gets home, he’s physically and emotionally exhausted. He toes off his shoes, leaving them by the front door, and throwing his bag down right beside them.

Mingyu and Soonyoung are passed out on the couch in each other’s arms, the TV still lighting up the room even though it’s gone dark with a “are you still watching?” screen. Joshua smiles, the happiness of Soonyoung and Mingyu rubbing off on him a little. He remembers what a mess Soonyoung and Mingyu had been at the very beginning, before everything had gone crazy.

Soonyoung was newly 20, barely an adult. He had moved in with Joshua a few days following his birthday. Splitting rent to be able to afford to live close to the city had sounded so nice when they were young. They’d had a third roommate for a while, living quietly in the third bedroom. Joshua and Soonyoung had been friends forever, but their third roommate never quite fit in. When he moved out, Joshua and Soonyoung had stable enough paycheques that they could afford to keep the third room empty.

Fast forward a year and a half, and Soonyoung is coming home with Mingyu trudging along behind him. They don’t notice Joshua sitting on the couch watching TV, and Joshua bets they wouldn’t have noticed if he’d been wearing a llama suit and doing the cancan, they’re so absorbed in each other.

Joshua turns off the TV and pulls a blanket over the two. They don’t even stir when he backs into the coffee table, knocking a book off the end.

He can hear mumbling coming from his room, getting louder with each step he takes towards the door. It stops, however, as soon as he places his hand on the doorknob. It’s suspicious in an endearing way, and it leaves a smile on Joshua’s face. He pushes the door open, finding Jeonghan and Seungcheol laying on the bed with their legs tangled together, giggling to each other,

“What did I just walk in on?” Joshua asks, shutting the door behind himself. He throws his jacket onto his desk chair, and starts to work on the buttons of his dress shirt.

Jeonghan grins. “We’re plotting.” He says. Seungcheol scoffs.

“We’re not plotting anything, don’t listen to him.” Seungcheol says.

Joshua shakes his head with a chuckle, pulling his shirt and his pants off and discarding them onto the same chair that his jacket is draped over. Seungcheol’s eyes dart instantly to the exposed skin of his throat.

“Tell me. I wanna know.” Joshua whines. They make a space for him in between them, like they do every night. Joshua crawls in, immediately noticing that Jeonghan is wearing his work shirt that he’d thrown into the laundry hamper yesterday.

Jeonghan curls up against his side, the fabric a touch rough against Joshua’s skin. “We wanna mark you tonight.” He says.

“What?” Joshua sputters out. This is the first he’s ever heard of their desire to mark him at all, let alone their desire to do it immediately.

Seungcheol reaches across Joshua’s stomach to bat at Jeonghan’s arm. “You idiot, we were supposed to ease him into it.” He says.

“No, no, jus— just tell me what you mean.” Joshua stammers. He’s heard about this once in passing, and the only thing he’s heard about is how painful the whole process can be if it’s forced or nonconsensual.

Jeonghan’s head is heavy on his chest as Seungcheol starts to explain. “Basically, we bite your neck right at the base, a little bit of our saliva gets pushed into your bloodstream, magic science stuff happens, it leaves a mark and our scents mix with yours so other hybrids know that you’re ours.” Seungcheol says.

It takes Joshua a minute to process. “Um,” Is all he manages to say when the words finally start to wrap around his head.

“We don’t have to. It’s part of our instinct to want to mark you, but we don’t have to. You have the adoption certificates and we already know that you’re ours.” Jeonghan says. It comes out less comforting than he means it to, and instead sounds like he’s guilting Joshua into doing this for them. Seungcheol smacks him again.

“I— I’ll sleep on it, baby.” Joshua says, kissing the crown of Jeonghan’s head and then leaning back into Seungcheol’s chest.

“All we’re asking is that you think about it.” Seungcheol says. Joshua nods, letting his eyes slip closed and his mind shut off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a timeline for the last few chapters so I actually know what I'm doing now  
> Kinda  
> This chapter still went in a different direction than I'd planned even with the timeline set up

**Author's Note:**

> [follow me on twitter](http://twitter.com/memeyoozi) to see what I'm writing next


End file.
